Photo By Julie Mitchell | Army & Air Force Exchange Service and Barksdale Air Force Base, La., leaders united to...... read more read more
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The Army & Air Force Exchange Service cut the ribbon on its revamped main store at Barksdale Air Force Base, bringing a modern shopping experience complete with a strong national brand presence to Airmen, families and retirees in the community.
“The Exchange is family serving family—we are all in to support you,” Exchange Director/CEO Tom Shull told the Barksdale community during the grand reopening ceremony March 31. “We are grateful to be part of your community.”
The $8.8 million face-lift, which took roughly nine months to complete, includes polished concrete floors, fresh paint, updated signing and a customer-friendly layout featuring name-brand merchandise in the main store. That contemporary look is carried into the mall and food court, which welcomed a Subway as part of the renovation.
The Exchange contributed $6.6 million toward the renovation, while the 2d Bomb Wing allocated $2.2 million, which helped pay for the roof, pharmacy expansion, moving the post office to the front of the store and an updated heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.
“This is a prime example of what partnership can mean and a wonderful example of what I like to call integrated readiness,” Shull said. “We want to be a partner in family readiness. As long as there are families to take care of, we will always want to be there.”
Col. Brandon Parker, 2d Bomb Wing vice commander, lauded the Exchange’s strong relationship with the installation.
“The Exchange has served for 120 years,” he said, noting the organization’s long history. “What you see here today carries on that tradition.”
Throughout the store, shoppers are treated to a strong national brand presence, including a BE FIT section with athletic wear and footwear for men and women from name brands such as Under Armour, Nike, Adidas, Brooks and Asics.
National brands ensure the 103,640-square-foot main store, which was built 20 years ago and updated in 2004, has a modern look and feel. On grand-opening day, Barksdale shoppers were impressed with the contemporary experience.
“The BE FIT area is awesome,” said Senior Master Sgt. Katrina McNutt. “It looks just like a sporting goods store—it’s remarkable.”
In store’s new Chef Shop, Senior Airman Mark Clifton and his wife browsed name-brand kitchen goods from Paul Deen, Pioneer Woman, Emeril and Wolfgang Puck.
“I could go crazy in this section,” Brittany Clifton said. “I’m a total foodie—and it’s nice to have so much to choose from.”
National brands, including Lucky, Columbia and Kuhl, in the menswear section won her husband over.
“I didn’t think I could find these brands at these prices here,” Airman Clifton said. “Now that I know, I’ll be back to shop more often.”
Master Sgt. Natasha Bryant hunted for deals in the children’s section, where she was shopping for her 4-month-old son. The section features fashionable clothing at affordable prices: $5, two for $15, $10, $15 and $20.
“I came in looking for steals and deals, and I found some,” she said, holding infant boys shirts from Nautica and Carter’s. “The children’s section is customer-friendly—and it looks bigger, more open.”
For Barksdale Exchange General Manager Ellen Henderson, seeing the store filled with satisfied shoppers made her team’s hard work pay off.
“This updated store really shows how much the Exchange cares,” Henderson said. “The Exchange is truly part of this community—and we want to make Barksdale the best it can be.”
| Date Taken: | 04.04.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 04.06.2016 14:16 |
| Story ID: | 194556 |
| Location: | BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, LA, US |
| Web Views: | 187 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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