Customers line up in rain to see new Copps store

By: Suzanne Weiss, Herald Times Reporter

MANITOWOC — A light early morning rain didn’t put a damper on their enthusiasm.

Customers began lining up as early as 4:50 a.m. today for the 5:30 a.m. opening of the new Copps Food Center at 3300 Calumet Ave.

Decked out in her pink rain bonnet, Mary Scharenbroch was the first to make her way to the door.

“I go out for breakfast at 7 a.m. so I thought I’d get here early — and I’m really early,” she said as she stood at the entranceway. “That’s kind of nice that we have a roof over our head here.”

Mary Stelzer, clutching her black and white umbrella, was a close second in line.

“I do volunteer work and I had to get up for it anyway,” she said.

The women wanted to be among the first 200 customers to receive $5 gift cards that store manager Lane Landon would be handing out.

Landon was up at 4 a.m. in preparation for the big event.

“It’s great,” he said. “I drove past here at 25 after four to get coffee and people were in the parking lot already.”

The line spiraled into the parking lot as more than 100 customers got behind Scharenbroch and Stelzer before the doors opened.

Pete Stuntz, who came with his granddaughter, Lauryn Hibbard, kept a running count of the people. Each time he announced the growing number, Wendy Schmidt would respond with a laugh: “That’s it? We’d love to go through twice.”

Schmidt was clad in a shorts outfit despite temperatures in the low 50s.

“I got out of bed and this was what was laying on the floor so I put it on,” she said. “I’d be mad if I didn’t get a $5 card.”

Susan Winnega couldn’t contain her enthusiasm: “I’ve been watching it get built for how many months? I’ve got to see it finished.”

Bill and Diane Schwark had gone to the sneak preview of the 60,691-square-foot store Monday and returned this morning.

“It is just huge,” Diane Schwark said.

“The aisles are wider. There’s a lot more room for shopping carts,” Bill Schwark said.

“I’m lost. I’m glad I have the day off,” said Karen Disch as she wandered up and down the aisles. “It’s beautiful in here. It’s big.”

Annette Haese was buying doughnuts to share with her co-workers in celebration of her birthday.

“What a way to celebrate my birthday,” she said of the store opening.

“We’re jumping for joy,” said Pam Volkert, area deli merchandiser. “This is very exciting. We have some new sandwiches. We have new salads. We have a hot area with things we didn’t have before. We’re going to have hot pizza and hot paninis.”

Assistant deli manager Cindy Korte, cook Pat Michaels and deli manager Debbie Lorge, long-time Copps employees, are old pros at store openings.

“We opened the last store 23 years ago and we’re still here, doing the same thing,” Korte said. “It’s like déjà vu.”

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