Business was booming as Grocery Outlet celebrated the grand opening of its newest Fresno location on Thursday, July 17, with a ribbon cutting.

“On behalf of our approximately thousand member businesses, of which you are now one, we would like to welcome you to the family,” said Scott Miller, president/CEO of the Fresno Chamber of Commerce.

Meanwhile, a nonstop throng of shoppers streamed in and out of the store, located in the former Rite Aid at 2990 E. Nees Ave. on the northwest corner of Willow and Nees avenues. The line for customers to check out wound from the registers to the back aisle.

The North Fresno Grocery Outlet is independently owned and operated by husband-and-wife team Luis and Cristina Ramirez. They expressed their gratitude for the community’s warm welcome.

“I just want to say thank you guys for coming out and supporting us,” Luis Ramirez said. “I look forward to everything we’re going to be able to do together.”

“We are beyond excited to see everyone here,” Cristina Ramirez said.

The Ramirezes presented oversized checks representing their donations of $500 each to the Buchanan High School Foundation and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California.

“We just want to thank not only Grocery Outlet but the individual owners and operators,” said Nick Lutton, director of development for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California.

Other attendees of the grand opening included representatives of local elected officials as well as Buchanan High School folklorico dancers, who performed before the ribbon cutting.

The Ramirezes, born and raised in Fresno, found inspiration for opening the store all around them.

“The neighborhood, the people, the community,” Cristina Ramirez said. “We’re so blessed to have gotten a store in our backyard. We’re just happy.”

While their store is new, they share an extensive background in retail.

“Combined, we have 40-plus years of retail experience, so we hope to give you all that we got,” Cristina Ramirez said.

The store’s hours of operation are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. It is the fourth Grocery Outlet in Fresno; Clovis has one.