Home improvement chain store Menards will open a new location in Athens next summer.
A Menards location is being constructed at 2007 East State St., across from Athens Mini Storage, and is set to be finished by summer 2020, Jeff Abbott, a Menards spokesperson, said.
Menards is the third-largest home improvement chain behind Home Depot and Lowe’s with about 350 stores across the Midwest.
In addition to home improvement goods, the store will also offer things like beauty products and groceries, Abbott said.
When it opens, Menards will bring about 100 new jobs to the Athens area, which is “fantastic for the city,” Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said. But Athens County Commissioner Charlie Adkins said he is concerned about the quality of jobs it will bring.
“They probably won't have as many full-time jobs as one would hope,” Adkins said.
Despite the concern, Adkins believes Menards will keep shoppers in town during the holiday season, bringing money into Athens county.
Patterson believes the store will attract people from all around Southeastern Ohio and Parkersburg, West Virginia, because it will be the closest Menards location open.
“It'll bring people here and they'll probably do other shopping, possibly get a bite to eat or something like that, and that's always good for your local economy,” Patterson said.
After initially being postponed, construction on the new store began this past spring and is expected to be finished by the summer, Patterson said.
