Luverne Cash & Carry held a grand opening this weekend for its new 8,000 square-foot facility on South Forest Avenue. Owner Ernest Dean, who also owns Cash & Carry's in Greenville and Andalusia, said the new store is the largest of the three.

"We're excited about this," said Dean. "One of our customers who came in told me that this may be the nicest building in Luverne and I think he's right. We're trying to become a little more of a fixture in the community because that's who we're here to serve - the community of Luverne."

The store offered free refreshments on Friday and Saturday, including soft drinks, hot dogs, potato chips and hamburgers. Free coffee, said Dean, has always been a daily staple at Cash & Carry, something early-morning builders, roofers, painters and do-it-yourselfer's appreciate when they pick-up supplies for whatever the day's job requires.

"We've always been something of a laid back store," he said. "We enjoy talking to our customers and getting to know them."

The old Cash & Carry said Dean - still in use as a building supply warehouse - didn't have the display room offered by the new building.

"This gives us shopping comfort for our customers," he said. "We've got at least 5,000 square-feet of air conditioned display room that focuses on our four main areas - floor covering, paint, hardware and building materials."

The 3,000-foot addition immediately adjacent to the front allows for delivery truck access and storage, assuring customers that a needed item is never more than a step away, said Dean.

Parking was also an issue at the old Cash & Carry. 17 parking spaces in front of the new facility have remedied that problem, said Dean.

"We had no parking in the old building. I think our customers are going to feel a lot more comfortable coming into the new store," he said.

The store also offered door prizes during its two-day grand opening in addition to sale prices on its inventory.