As the crowd began to grow at a quarter to 8 in the morning on Thursday, Aug. 29, the doors to the Costco Wholesale Warehouse in Ridgefield opened to the public for the first time, and a stream of shoppers flooded the aisles in the brand new store.
From $1.50 hot dogs to Jurassic Park pinball, Christmas decorations in August,or just the regular bulk items, north Clark County and even Cowlitz County residents now have an easier Costco option.
“It’s got that new Costco smell,” one shopper said as they swiftly pushed their cart into the store.
Shoppers were taking phone videos while walking in for the first time. Some opted to take a selfie outside the store, and hungry customers headed over for the legendary Costco hot dog while others made their rounds to the samples.
Among the grand-opening crowd was Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow, he walked around the store with a smile while constantly running into community members and even his cousin. Earlier in the week, one of Onslow’s friends told him the impact Costco has on his shopping routine.
“It’s best said by a friend that I was having lunch with the other day. He says, ‘You know, I won’t have to leave Ridgefield anymore and don’t have to go to Vancouver,’ ” Onslow said.
As residents of Ridgefield will no longer need to travel to other cities to shop at Costco, other community’s Costco-goers can now help support the city of Ridgefield, Onslow said.
“People are spending their money here,” Onslow said. “The tax benefits will go to the city itself, and that’s going to be a real positive flow for us. We needed to get away from just building homes and have commercial [development] sustain our city. This is a big start.”
The development Costco resides in, the Union Ridge Town Center, will enhance tax benefits for the city even more. Plans for the Union Ridge Town Center could feature 14 retail stores beyond the Costco anchor. Preliminary designs highlight six drive-thru capabilities within the development, as well with In-N-Out Burger slated for a 2025 opening in the development.
Ridgefield City Manager Steve Stuart previously told the Reflector that regional growth in the area of Pioneer Street and Interstate 5, known as the junction, has been planned for a long time.
“That area has been planned for that, with the zoning and with the infrastructure that’s being developed, for years. And that is what you will continue to see — those larger regional businesses at the junction.”
Onslow, having joined the Ridgefield City Council in 2007, did not think he would ever see a retail entity like Costco come to the small western Clark County community. He’s thankful that Costco opted to open a location in Ridgefield, because, not only will the city benefit, but employment opportunities have enhanced the job scene.
“The fact that Costco is here, it’s such a clean business. They’re going to have 280 employees,” Onslow said. “They’ve had 300 every day for almost a year building this, and that’s all local contractors. It’s wonderful. It’s a dream come true because we have such a good, clean business, and they are community minded.”
The Ridgefield warehouse, now the third Costco location in Clark County, is the closest to the Cowlitz County communities of Longview and north to Castle Rock.
The Ridgefield warehouse is open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. The Ridgefield Costco is located at 519 North 56th Place.
