Customers lined up outside the new HomeSense and Winners superstore in Aurora ahead of its grand opening today.
The new store, located at 10 Goulding Ave., had about 20 people lined up as it opened its doors to customers for the first time at 8 a.m. on Nov. 8.
Newmarket resident Kim Vettese was at the front of the line. She said she got there around 7:30 a.m and was excited to see the new store.
"It’s nice for a new store,” she said. “I find they have good stuff. They bring in good stuff.”
Vettese said she is a regular shopper at Winners and HomeSense and has been since the stores first came to Ontario. She said she would often shop at the locations in Newmarket and make the trip down to Winners in Aurora.
While she was just planning to browse around the new shop, she said she was definitely going to check out the Christmas section.
A few minutes before 8 a.m.. employees came outside the cut the ribbon for the grand opening, then officially welcomed the first customers inside, clapping and cheering as each person entered.
The new store is 42,000 square feet and is divided into two sides, with one for HomeSense, which largely consisted of home decor, housewares, pet items, and of course Christmas decorations. The other side is for Winners, featuring clothes, accessories, and hair, makeup, and skin care products.
Outside there are two separate entrances but the store is all one inside. There is also one check-out area so customers can shop at both simultaneously.
"The HomeSense and Winners superstore will provide our customers who live and work in the area with the convenience, value, quality and brand name selection that HomeSense and Winners are known for," company spokesperson Sheila Magro said. "With new items arriving daily, the store will offer shoppers an exciting destination with irresistible finds at exceptional prices."
With the opening of this new store, the standalone WINNERS location in Aurora closed on Nov. 3.
The superstore will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays. It is located off of Wellington Street in Aurora between Leslie Street and Highway 404.
