Original Walmart opened in Portland

Twenty-five years ago this week, Walmart opened in Portland.

The Oct. 30, 1995, edition of The Commercial Review featured a story about the opening of the new store on Meridian Street at the north end of Portland.

The store was bustling as it opened its doors to the public on Oct. 28, 1995, a few days prior to its official grand-opening event.

“It’s like a seven-hour sprint,” said stocker James Phillips as he wheeled an empty cart into the store. “Portland was starving for something like this, and they’re eating it up. It’s been busy, non-stop.”

The store drew customers from all over Jay County and beyond on its first day. Hopeful shoppers had been wandering into the store for weeks prior to the opening, grabbing a cart and heading down the aisles.

“There were people coming every day asking when the store was open,” said Walmart employee Seth Butcher. “They’d pick stuff up off a shelf and were walking around and we’d say, ‘Sorry, we’re not open yet.’”

Jay County residents had been hungry for a retail option, the story said, noting that Fisher’s Big Wheel in Portland had closed its doors about two years earlier after the chain filed for bankruptcy.

“Yeah, I think it’s swell,” said Portland resident Bennie Brown. “I wish they would have had it a long time ago.”

The store was in operation at the site for almost 11 years before the current Walmart Supercenter opened in July 2006.