Lowe's Home Improvement has set Sept. 8 as the grand opening of its new Sanford store, which will replace the one totaled by the April 16 tornado.
The rebuilt, $10 million store will provide another sign of rebirth for the Lee County community, which was hit hard by the tornado.
The store will employ 160 people. All of the damaged store's employees were shifted to other Lowe's nearby. The store will have 103,000 square feet of sales space, plus a 34,000-square-foot garden center.
Officials broke ground on the replacement store in May.
The reopening festivities will include food, entertainment and more.
Assistant Business Editor Alan M. Wolf joined the N&O in 1999 covering the business of health care. He became an editor in 2001, and helps oversee the paper's daily business coverage and Sunday Work&Money section. He lives in Clayton with his wife and two children. Reach him at 919-829-4572 or