Text, Photos and Video
By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Just in time for the Christmas shopping season, those in the Warsaw area have another place to get gifts from.

The department store Bealls officially opened in Warsaw on Friday morning, Oct. 25. It’s located at 2856 Frontage Road in the Marketplace at Warsaw shopping center.

The Kosciusko Chamber of Commerce had a ribbon-cutting for the store. Friday was the grand opening for the business, but a soft opening had occurred prior.

Ahead of the store’s opening at 9 a.m., at least 75 people had formed a line to shop.

Those included Nicholas Leavitt and his “honorary daughter,” Kimberly Engle, and her fiance, Noah Cain, all of Warsaw. The three were the first in line, having been there since “roughly 7 a.m.,” said Leavitt.

Leavitt noted the first 100 people in line could get gift cards.

“We came in a couple days ago during the soft opening,” he said. “They’ve got some good stuff in there.”

Jean Hilbert serves as store manager. The store has 18 employees, and she’s working to hire seasonal workers for Christmas.

“It’s exciting,” she said of the store opening. “I started watching the process of construction, and seeing it go from nothing to this, it’s pretty amazing.”

Hilbert previously served as manager at the Bealls stores in Plymouth and Columbia City.

“We have clothing for the entire family. We have home decor, pet items, shoes. We have quite a bit,” she said of merchandise. “We have accessories, name-brand purses, name-brand clothes.”

Hours for the store are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

“During the holiday (season), we will have extended hours,” said Hilbert.

She said the store has a “friendly atmosphere” for customers and “unique gifts for the holiday season.”

“We have a lot to offer,” said Hilbert. “We get new trucks once a week.