It is a wet and dreary day as I head over on my first visit to Morgantown’s newest Kroger Food and Drug. I make my way across 705 and turn onto Stewartstown Rd, and then turn again into what I did not previously know was called Suncrest Town Centre, where the new Damon’s has moved in. And behind the Damon’s, in all its sprawling glory, is possibly the largest Kroger store in WV. Billed on its mailings as a “state of the art 86,138 square foot facility,” I am eager to check it out.

The parking area is crowded with vehicles, but being willing to walk a short distance I have no problem finding a space. The inside of the store is quite large, with an impressive produce and organics section on the front left side. Since the store is new, they have not yet fallen into the trap of monotony, so there are many strange and colorful fruits and products to choose from. Indeed, it is the store’s newness that is its strength — it currently has a great selection and highly enthusiastic staff. As I am picking up a hand of red bananas (more on this in another post) a helpful produce stocker strikes up a conversation, recommending the new organic Cavendish bananas they have on display.

The store has alternating sections of groceries and household goods, with a small variety of lots of different kitchen items (ie, they generally have a small selection for each type of item), including small appliances such as slow cookers and toaster ovens. Since the store prides itself on its selection of specialty foods, I head for the Asian section next. It is colorfully stocked, with charming Asian knick-knacks lining the top shelves. I pick up some instant udon soup, some dry noodles, and some chocolate Pocky to support the effort.

I recommend that you check out the store while they are still in their opening celebrations; even the elusive Easter Bunny is wandering the aisles, offering treats to young and old alike. It looks like it will be fun to shop, and if we’re lucky it is located separately enough to disperse some of the town’s traffic and make journeys to the other grocery stores easier as well.

*Note: The fuel part of this Kroger installation is not yet open. A shame, as I needed to gas up.