Smith’s Marketplace opens in Springville

Eye-catching arrangements of fresh flowers and potted plants to the left and mounds of glistening produce straight ahead open the way for customers to walk into freshness at the new Smith’s Marketplace.

“All our roses are sustainably grown in South America,” said Marsha Gilford, who guided Serve Daily through the store before the Smith’s Marketplace grand opening set for 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 21. Gilford is vice president of public affairs for the Salt Lake City-based Smith’s Food and Drug Stores.

Springville’s store hours are set for 6 a.m. to midnight daily.

“We work with local farmers to get their produce here,” Gilford said, specifically noting Mountainland Apples, a grower’s cooperative in Santaquin, and Houweling’s Tomatoes in Mona. “Organic is a huge and growing interest among our shoppers.”

Youngsters will like the fresh fruit samples they are offered in the produce department, Gilford said. This helps them enjoy the shopping experience and stave off hunger until the grown-ups they’re with finish shopping, she explained.

The east and northeast walls of the store include several eateries and a dining area that can accommodate 50 patrons, with four check-outs for the “eat-now” items. Options include fresh sushi, chicken wings, oven-baked pizza, made-to-order sandwiches, salads and pots of simmering soup, plus a variety of local and imported cheeses.

The only Starbucks in Springville is another added attraction.

Free Wi-Fi is available in the eating area, where a gorgeous mural of glass art of downtown Springville — created by Jeanne and David Gomm of Gomm Studios in Provo — is not to be missed.

A bakery along the east wall features desserts as well as a variety of breads, including artisan. Beyond that is a grilling station, where steaks, burgers or whatever can be grilling while the purchaser continues shopping for the rest of the meal.

The 123,000-square-foot store — the Smith’s Marketplace standard size — is about 70 percent groceries, said Store Manager Dal Haderlie, who previously was manager of the Smith’s in Orem and a 33-year Smith’s employee.

Among the 200,000 items available at the Springville Smith’s are several private labels, including Simple Truth, which is a best-selling label in the organic/natural food line, Gilford said.

Kitchen items, home goods, health and beauty products, seasonal items, toys and a full-service pharmacy with two drive-up lanes also are available at Smith’s Marketplace. Health screenings and vaccinations will be available.

“It’s one-stop shopping,” Gilford said. “This is the kind of place where you can find what you need for a family gathering. We want to bring as much convenience to the community as possible, and for a fair price.

“More important, we want people to have exceptional service from our associates,” she said. “We want to make your day better. We’re here to feed your family and your spirit.”

The 22 check-out lanes, including 12 that are self-check-outs, plus a store standard of no more than two people standing in line before another cashier steps in to handle the crunch, are additional ways Smith’s Marketplace stands ready to serve its community.

The Click List grocery order service, which offer more than 40,000 items for curbside pickup, and home delivery via the Utah-based PigeonShip service are still more options. These are to begin June 29 at the Springville Smith’s.

“It’s exciting for me to be part of this new store,” Haderlie said. “Springville’s been asking for this for many years, and I’ve been very welcomed here. I already feel part of the community.”

Smith’s Marketplace, now a division of The Kroger Co., began as a dry goods store in 1911 in Brigham City, Utah. It was renamed Smith and Son’s Market in 1932. After merging with Fred Meyer Inc., of Portland, Oregon, in 1997, and being bought by Kroger in 1997 — now the nation’s largest supermarket chain — Smith’s itself has grown to 140 stores in seven states.

The Springville Smith’s is the 54^th store in Utah, and the 100^th fuel center in the chain.