BLYTHEWOOD – IGA is inviting the community to a help paint a mural on the store’s wall Saturday, Aug. 30, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The occasion is the celebration of IGA’s transition to a KJ’s Market.
“The actual name change won’t happen until Oct. 1, with a grand re-opening and ribbon cutting at 8 a.m., but we want to be sure the community is involved – starting now – in that transition,” said Store Manager Kevin Portee.
“We’ve designed a giant mural depicting all things Blythewood that will be drawn on the wall outside the front door to the store. The parts of the mural will be coded for different paint colors, and those participating in the paint party will paint different sections of the mural until it’s completed,” Portee said. “We hope everyone will come out and participate. It will be lots of fun. We’ll provide instructions and all the supplies – paint, brushes, etc. We’ll also be serving refreshments.”
“The painting of the mural is an opportunity for our hosts (our employees) and guests to come together as one community,” said Caitlin Probst, Director of Marketing for W. Lee Flowers. “The mural’s design is unique to the Blythewood location, highlighting the town’s rich history in agriculture and railroads. Community art projects, like the mural, are part of the new KJ’s Market branding, which we’re implementing during the store’s remodel,” she said. “We hope everyone will join us Saturday morning to help leave their mark on the new mural.”
Besides the name change, Portee says other changes will be made throughout the store.
We’re bringing lots of upgrades to the different departments. The deli will become the Bluebird Kitchen. The meat department will become the Butcher Shop. We’ll become known for our Butcher Bundle boxes,” he said.
While the deli name will change, Portee said the food served there won’t.
“We’ll still serve the deli’s trademark peach cobbler, green beans, mac and cheese, fried chicken and other staples that have made the deli a popular breakfast and lunch spot over the years,” he said.
“We’re going to have a greater variety of fruits and vegetables in our produce department, and we’ll be upgrading the grocery section to include a promotional aisle that will be stocked with our advertised promotional items for easy shopping.”
For the past several months, the store has been sprucing up for the transition with a newly painted roof and more manicured trees in the parking lot, which was recently repaved.
“We’re also getting new shopping buggies, more motorized buggies and some special children’s shopping carts,” Portee said.
Not part of the store, but an additional attraction for the store will be the new steak house, Beer Hunter Southern Grill, that’s going to open in the space across from the front door of the store next year.
Portee says one of the changes that he believes will be wildly popular is the fresh, homemade square biscuits in the Bluebird Kitchen.
“They’re square because we don’t cut no corners,” Portee quipped with a smile.
The Bluebird kitchen will continue with the same hours: breakfast from 7 to 10:30 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
KJ’s and IGA are both owned by Alex Lee. For more information about the community mural painting, call 803-830-7154.
