ATHENS — The Walmart Supercenter on East State Street in Athens celebrated a grand reopening Friday after a 12-week renovation, capping the ceremony with thousands of dollars in donations to local charities.
The ribbon-cutting honor went to Tina Norman, who has worked at the store since it opened in 2002. Mayor Steve Patterson, Athens Police Chief Nick Magruder and Athens County Sheriff Rodney Smith attended, along with Robin and Jimmy Burrow — parents of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow — and members of the Joe Burrow Foundation board.
The remodel brought a full interior makeover: updated bathrooms, a refreshed automotive section and new shelving layouts, all completed while the store stayed open, manager Keith Adams said. Athens residents were skeptical of the Arkansas-based retailer when it arrived, Norman said, but the store won the community over through years of volunteering and donations.
Among its gifts: donations to Friends of Shelter Dogs, My Sister’s Place and area food banks. After recent flooding, the store also donated a large number of life jackets to the Waterloo Township Fire Department in New Marshfield for water rescues across Athens County and beyond.
