The west side of Salt Lake City finally has a place where residents can buy socks.
In fact, west-siders can find those and just about anything else at Salt Lake City's first Wal-Mart Supercenter, which opened Wednesday near 1300 South and 300 West.
While it's debatable whether the supercenter is actually on the city's retail-starved west side (It's east of I-15.) it certainly is accessible for cash-conscious Glendale, Rose Park and Poplar Grove residents who are accustomed to driving miles into West Valley City and Bountiful to shop.
"We've been going out to the (Wal-Mart) on 5600 West for quite a while. We've been waiting, dying for this one to open," Enoch Vaenuku said while browsing with his wife and kids. "Wal-Mart is the only place we shop, and there have been times when we will have to go to the store for a few items, and running all the way out there for just a few items kind of sucks."
There seemed to be little negative reaction to the new supercenter — Wal-Mart's 3,789th store — as eager west-side residents reveled in low prices Wednesday.
"Way excited," Amber Martinez said. "We've had to drive clear out to West Valley (to shop). . . . I love Wal-Mart."
Unlike some cities where city leaders waged planning and zoning warfare to stop the giant retailer from opening, Salt Lake City officials praised the store, which they said is one of the most expensive and nicest Wal-Marts ever built. One council member estimated the cost of the store's bilevel parking garage — with a separate escalator for shopping carts — at $25 million to $30 million.
"As far as Wal-Marts go, we got the Cadillac of them," said Councilman Carlton Christensen, who added that the new store will keep more city sales tax dollars from leaking to the suburbs.
Christensen and fellow west-side Councilman Van Turner said they expect Wal-Mart's entry will draw more big-box retailers to the 300 West corridor. Already between 1300 South and 2100 South on 300 West is a Home Depot and Costco, and Sam's Club is building a new store.
Some sources say they expect a Lowe's hardware store to move in on 300 West in the near future and other big boxes and chain restaurants to follow suit.
"That's a hot piece of real estate around that corridor," Turner said.
Still, typical Wal-Mart concerns remain in Salt Lake.
While the new supercenter will employ 520 people, some are concerned that those jobs don't pay livable wages. Prior to Wednesday's opening, Jobs with Justice had organized a few protests on the sidewalks lining the massive store.
Also, there are worries about traffic congestion, and others fear the supercenter will put competing small local stores out of business.
"It's not going to increase your business to have 20,000 square feet of competition nearby," Turner said.
Longtime west-side activist Archie Archuleta said the store is welcome but not without a grain of salt.
"It remains to be seen what they do with their benefits and wages," he said. "So far countrywide they've been pretty bad.
"One of the biggest problems we're facing is this whole idea of the supercenter swallowing up the smaller ones and destroying those small businesses."
Mayor Rocky Anderson's economic development director welcomed the store but mentioned similar worries.
"I think every community is concerned about small businesses when a major big box opens," Alison McFarlane said. "We'd like to see a marketplace where big box and small business can thrive."
E-mail: bsnyder@desnews.com