Costco opened in Murfreesboro on July 20 to the sound of cheers and hoots and hollers as the ribbon was officially cut by Murfreesboro store manager, Chris Harmon. The much-anticipated event is the culmination of 14 years of work by local government and business leaders.
The new Costco is located at 1524 Beasie Rd. Murfreesboro, TN 37128 (Off Highway 99 at Warrior Drive).
Photos from Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce
“This is a great day for Costco and Rutherford County,” said Rutherford County Mayor Bill Ketron. “Costco is known for doing their demographic studies. They don’t come everywhere. They look at population, road networks, educational levels, and quality of life before they come. We are a good community, but this is a sign that we are a great community.”
“They will be a great asset to the community,” said John Harney, one of the members of the team that initially approached Costco about coming to Murfreesboro all those years ago.
Almost as soon as the ribbon was cut shoppers pushed their way into the store as team members from the store cheered them on. Shopping carts filled quickly with everything from over-sized plush Baby Yodas to multipacks of juicy steaks.
“Isn’t this wild,” asked one shopper as she pushed her cart through the door with a big smile on her face.
Murfreesboro Costco General Manager Chris Harmon estimates that between 5,000 and 6,000 people ventured into the store grand opening day. Originally hailing from Murfreesboro, Harmon is excited to finally be back home. And the community has embraced the company, the store, and his team with open arms.
“The city was hugely helpful in bringing us in,” said Harmon. “And the Embassy Suites gave us two office spaces and closed down their restaurant to allow us to use the space to use for our membership campaign.”
Harmon says people are very excited to have Costco in Murfreesboro, and that thousands have already signed up for a membership. Many more were in line to sign up for a membership on opening day. Shopping at Costco requires a membership card to get into the building. The basic membership for an individual or family is a Gold Star, which costs $60, however, some discounts are available during the grand opening. Business Memberships are $120.
The isles were full of plenty of staff to help new customers find their way around, as well as the famous food samplers offering tastes of everything from gourmet coffee to tortellini salad to seafood nibbles. COVID-19 caused the store to have to close down their famous sampling, but on opening day there were lots of goodies and plenty of samplers enjoying the tasty treats.
One favorite at Costco is the great basic clothing at affordable prices with plenty of sizes. Particularly of note is the store brand Kirkland men’s dress shirts, which are popular wherever you go in the country. They also have a wonderful selection of children’s clothing and women’s basics from athletic wear to everyday slacks.
Fall is when they bring in great deals on furniture, and the new store is bursting with everything from the latest in leather pit groups to chests of drawers for the bedroom. This is also when they start to bring in lots of great children’s toys, like giant bears, pint-sized functional Jeep Power Wheels and over-sized Lego cars.
The fresh flowers, wine selection and food options also have an excellent reputation for fine quality, for example they carry Kobe Wagyu beef. Plenty of their famous food choices were also finding their way into shopping carts.
With the aisles and parking lot full, it was a great opening day for Costco.
“It’s fun to see Murfreesboro growing,” said one staff member.
