photo by: Bremen Keasey

Dillons associates celebrating the grand opening Friday morning of its new store at 2205 Iowa St. in Lawrence. The store officially opened its doors at 7 a.m.

As the Lawrence community celebrated the grand opening of the new Dillons at The Crossing Friday morning, officials expressed hope that the grocery store would spur growth around KU’s west campus.

The new store at 2205 Iowa St. opened at 7 a.m., and shoppers were eager to get inside. One resident told the Journal-World that he had been outside since 4:30 a.m. for the event, which featured the KU Marching Band and mascots Big Jay and Baby Jay.

That level of excitement for shopping at the store was mirrored by the leaders with Dillons and KU Endowment Association. Steve Dreher, the president of Dillon Stores, said he was extremely excited to open the store, which signified a $30 million investment in Lawrence and to be working alongside KU Endowment as part of creating a new multiuse space dubbed The Crossing.

As the Journal-World reported, KU and the KU Endowment Association envision that space turning into a hub for university research that also has a mix of private offices, apartments, condos and retail development.

James Clarke, the senior vice president and chief investment officer for KU Endowment, said when the idea first came up a few years ago, the group was searching for an anchor, and they thought Dillons was an “obvious choice.” With the opening of the new 86,000 square foot store, he said this will be a big step for making KU’s vision a reality.

“The new store is not just an anchor, but an accelerant to the project,” Clarke said.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

James Clarke, the senior vice president and CIO for KU Endowment, was one of the speakers at the grand opening Friday morning for the new Dillons at 2205 Iowa St. Clarke said he hopes the store can be “an accelerant” for the growth of the KU Crossing district, and told the Journal-World there is lots of development in the works.

The new store is the biggest development yet for KU Endowment’s vision, but other projects that have either opened or are under construction include an Olive Garden restaurant and Truity Credit Union. Both are part of the project’s eastern edge — just east and south of the intersection of 19th and Iowa streets — and across the street from the new Dillons.

While he said there was nothing KU Endowment could share publicly yet, Clarke told the Journal-World there was “lots of stuff in the works,” including that they would be breaking ground soon on retail and restaurant sites just north of the new Dillons.

Clarke also said KU Endowment was “under contract” for some new housing projects to the west of the store. Those developments would be rental units and would be open to anyone and everyone, not limited to students.

Additionally, other office spaces are expected to be built, and Clarke said there are discussions for a “dining and entertainment” space that would also be to the west of the new Dillons. Clarke said he thinks that new space in particular will tie in well with the intramural fields near the site, which were recently upgraded with turf fields and lighting. Plus, the development included adding a new field for the KU band to practice on.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

The new Dillons has an expanded Murray’s Cheese Shop, which sells a variety of artisan cheeses. That was one of the upgrades to the new store; other upgrades include a refrigeration system that uses a more natural refrigerant to reduce emissions and a a drive-thru window for pharmacy customers.

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Although there was lots of focus on the future plans, the opening of Dillons also provided some upgrades for shoppers and celebrated the community.

Sheila Regehr, a Dillons spokesperson, said the new store — which had its groundbreaking ceremony just over a year ago, as the Journal-World reported — is the biggest in Lawrence at 86,000 square feet. That is 30,000 square feet larger than the old location at 1015 W. 23rd St. which this will replace.

Regehr said the extra space means expanded offers for fresh produce, ready-to-go items like sushi and salads and Murray’s Cheese Shop, which sells a variety of artisan cheeses in several Dillons locations. The new store also includes wider aisles and more space for the pharmacy department, including a drive-thru window, which the former store did not have. Additionally, this is the first Dillons location in the region to operate with a new type of refrigeration system that uses a more natural refrigerant that is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 200 tons per year, Regehr said.

In addition to transferring many of the existing employees from the 23rd Street location, Dillons has added about 150 employees to staff the store. Regehr said the new location also focused on improving the work spaces for employees, creating more space to improve their efficiency and experience.

One local touch at the new store is a large mural at the front of the store created by local artist Kent Smith. The mural, which was developed with the help of the Lawrence Arts Center, features many Lawrence landmarks and Kansan themes. Smith shared he was inspired to be an artist after one of his mentors’ work was featured on Dillons grocery bags in Topeka for a tornado awareness campaign.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

A mural commissioned for the Dillons at 2205 Iowa St. It was created by local artist Kent Smith and features nods to Lawrence’s art and architecture.

As part of the opening and its Zero Hunger, Zero Waste campaign, Dillons gave $10,000 each to three local food based nonprofits: Just Food, Harvesters Community Food Network and KU’s Campus Cupboard.

Elizabeth Keever, the chief resource officer for Harvesters, said she was grateful to work with Dillons. Keever said that the investment is needed “now more than ever,” noting that hunger is higher than it has been in a decade with 14% of Douglas County residents experiencing food insecurity.

“This investment means the world to us,” Keever said.

Along with those donations, Dillons also gave $2,500 to the Lawrence Arts Center for a program that will provide food for young students at the center.

photo by: Bremen Keasey

As part of the opening, Dillons gave donations of $10,000 to three local food nonprofits: Harvesters Community Food Network, KU’s Campus Cupboard and Just Food. Elizabeth Keever, the chief resource officer for Harvesters, said this investment was “needed now more than ever.”

photo by: Bremen Keasey

The Dillons at 2205 Iowa St. in Lawrence on KU’s west campus.