MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Collierville Kroger, which was the site of a mass shooting more than a month ago, will once again reopen to the public on Wednesday.
The store has been closed since the shooting September 23, which claimed the life of Olivia King and injured 14 others.
It was a $4 million renovation here, as the message on the front of the store reads, “We are Collierville Strong.”
A spokesperson with Kroger said they worked with associates and the town to get feedback to open when people were ready.
Back inside the Kroger off Byhalia Road and Poplar in Collierville it’s all hands on deck. A Kroger spokesperson said some of the store’s layout has changed.
The goal: make shoppers and associates as comfortable as possible when they return.
The store employs roughly 150 people. Those employees, along with others from other area stores, came together to help put the store back together.
Officials told us, normally a project to revamp the inside of a store this size would take nearly a year and a half but this project was completed in a little more than a month.
Collierville’s Police Chief recently told us security is top of mind.
“The Collierville police department is gonna be out here and we were gonna do everything we can, just like we do any other day,” Chief Lane said.
As the community moves forward, Kroger opened a Collierville Associate Resource Center.
The center supports employees, first responders, survivors and the community impacted by the mass shooting tragedy. In addition, they provide mental health services, trauma counseling and victim advocacy services.
There is something new at the shopping center, a magnolia tree.
They’re calling the space a remembrance garden, to honor Olivia King, who died. The space is dedication to her in addition to the more than a dozen others injured.
It’s also the spot where employees gathered to support each other after the shooting.
The town of Collierville also plans to add a bench to the spot.
Food that was once inside this store was donated to the Mid-South Food Bank helping tens of thousands of families.
There will be a special ceremony at the Collierville Kroger this Wednesday, November 10th starting at 9 a.m. before the store officially opens again.
