BY COLLEEN LUTOLF
Staff Writer
COLLEEN LUTOLF The new Lowe’s opened in Woodbridge this week.
WOODBRIDGE — Lowe’s opened Friday after a four-month construction delay prompted the home improvement store to make some improvements of its own.
The 150,000-square-foot store is constructed on a clay pit, store manager Jeff Pimberton said, causing an abundance of methane gas to leak into the store.
"We had issues with methane gas," Pimberton said. "We were supposed to open in late November."
Pimberton said an extensive ventilation system was installed beneath the building’s floor, clearing up the problem.
"We’re happy with the condition of the building right now," he said.
Woodbridge joined two other Middlesex County municipalities, Old Bridge and Piscataway last Friday, to offer a home to Lowe’s, the store’s Public Relations Representative Jennifer Smith, said.
She said there are a list of 400 factors that the company considers before choosing a location.
"We look at population growth, access to major thoroughfares, the age of existing homes…," Smith said, naming a few variables that made Woodbridge an attractive location for the store.
Although there is one Home Depot in the township on Route 9 south with another one on the way in Colonia, Pimberton said Lowe’s is a different kind of home improvement store.
"[Lowe’s] stores are bigger, brighter and cleaner," he said. "It’s geared more toward the female shopper."
Pimberton said shoppers will not find 16-foot racking systems in the middle of the store that female shoppers may find intimidating.
"Compared to Home Depot, we also carry curtains and a lot of fashion and decorative items in home decor," he said. "We’re more fashion-sensitive than Home Depot."
Unlike Home Depot, Pimberton said, Lowe’s offers bath accessories like shower curtains and window treatments.
"There’s a lot of decorative stuff," he said.
Although Lowe’s gears itself toward the female shopper, Pimberton said the second-largest home improvement retailer in the world offers the same items that draws contractors to its competition.
"We have tons of plywood, sheet rock. We have well over 100 pallets of concrete," Pimberton said. "It’s still a warehouse; it’s just geared toward the female shopper. We still sell everything that Home Depot offers," he said.
With almost 30 years of experience under his belt in the home improvement industry, Pimberton, who began his career as a stock boy for the now-defunct Rickel chain over 27 years ago, said the job keeps him on his feet. The store will employ 255 workers by its opening, he said.
"Every day is different," he said. "People skills are really important."
Pimberton began using those skills on Friday when Lowe’s opened its doors to the public.
A grand opening ceremony is planned for March 24 in the store’s location at 51 Woodbridge Center Drive.