BOULDER, Colo. (KDVR) — Media were invited for a preview of the King Soopers on Table Mesa Drive, closed since the mass shooting there last March and set to reopen on Wednesday.
The reopening of the store has stirred up all kinds of emotions. The Boulder grocery store underwent a multimillion-dollar makeover.
Every redesign is meant to help this community move on after the mass shooting. The entryway, the Starbucks, the ceilings, the flowers — all new — have plenty of light to help forget a dark past.
For many, this King Soopers is more than just a grocery store. People like Evan Cantor, of south Boulder, are glad to have it back.
“Oh man, we are overjoyed. We live three blocks up the street. That’s been our corner market for 30 years,” Cantor said.
The store has been shut down since the shooting on March 22 of last year. At the Walnut Café down the street, people were glad about the store’s return.
“It’s great. I was there when things went down. And I’m happy to be here when things went back up,” Maxscha Murphy said.
From the store’s entryway, you get a clear view of the Flatirons.
Associates who helped with the redesign said they wanted to work here again. Many knew coming back would be tough, and many others in the community agree.
“It resurfaces a lot of stuff. So I have a lot of mixed feelings, but it’s mostly positive that progress is happening,” Uma Long said.
The 10 people who were killed here will be remembered with a memorial outside. A tree is being planted for each of them.
Cantor will shop here again Wednesday, both happy and sad, at a place he’s missed so much.
The Table Mesa King Soopers is now back — a bittersweet moment in Boulder’s history.