By John Balch
Leader staff
It’s been awhile, but Nashville will soon have a new grocery store on Main Street.
Tim Allen, group manager of Cash Saver Cost Plus Food Store, said Monday that the purchase of the former Charlie’s Thriftway building has been finalized and plans are now moving forward to open the new Cash Saver location, similar to the ones currently in operation at Murfreesboro (formerly Rehkopf’s) and Prescott.
The new store will be located at 628 South Main and Allen expects to hire 40-plus employees. Allen said as the opening date nears he will begin taking employment applications and will set aside specific days to conduct interviews. Potential employees can keep track of the application timeframe through advertisements in The Nashville Leader and on the “Cash Saver Nashville” Facebook page.
“We will need to get the workers – everything from cashiers to management – hired and trained for their positions before we open,” Allen said. “We should be ready to open sometime around mid-October.”
The first phases of a complete makeover of the big building on South Main are now underway.
“Everything is going to be all new,” Allen said. “All our stores are different, but this one is going to be really unique.”
The store’s floors will be stained concrete and the building will soon receive a new roof. Everything will also get a new coat of paint. The store will utilize L.E.D. lights and all dairy items will be housed behind refrigerated display cases. Allen said the advanced lighting system will be more energy efficient and the display cases will also cut energy costs and keep the products fresher longer.
“I think people are going to be really surprised when they see what we have planned for the building,” said Allen, who plans to relocate his office from the Murfreesboro store to Nashville.
The store will offer name-brand products as well as the Best Choice brand. There will also be a satellite bakery along with fresh produce and a meat department where the meats will be cut fresh every day. A portion of the building is also being set aside for Hispanic products.
Allen said shoppers can expect Cash Saver to offer competitive prices through its cost-plus program. “Products will be offered at the cost it takes to get them on the shelves and we then add 10 percent at the register,” he said.
Cash Saver is owned by Rehkopf’s Family Foods out of Texas. The family has operated supermarkets for three generations in the Texarkana area, dating back to 1925, according to company’s website. The company currently operates 14 stores in Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The company’s Mission Statement is “To take care of our customers by providing friendly service and a good selection of products at competitive pricing.”
Allen, who has been in the grocery business for more than 10 years, said Rekopf’s switched to the Cash Saver format about two years ago to make sure the company’s Mission Statement continues to ring true.
“You’ve got to stay competitive to stay in business,” he added.
Allen said he has heard many encouraging comments about plans for the new store and the company has received a warm welcome to Nashville.
“Everything and everyone have been great,” he said. “I’m really excited to get this going.”
