'It's a dream come true': Daytona Costco draws big crowd on opening day

DAYTONA BEACH − Volusia County's long wait to get its own Costco Wholesale store finally ended Thursday morning when the retail giant opened its newest location across from Daytona International Speedway.

"I've been waiting for this for a long time. It's a dream come true," said Daytona Beach resident John Williams who held a sign proudly declaring he's been a Costco member since 1986.

Williams had been driving 44.5 miles to shop at the Costco in Altamonte Springs. The distance from his home to the new store at One Daytona is just 6.8 miles.

Why is he such a big fan?

"The prices, the service, everything about it. You just can't beat Costco," he said.

Mayor hails Costco as 'best in class'

Daytona Beach Mayor Derrick Henry joined Donna Clinger, general manager of the new Costco at One Daytona, in cutting the ribbon to officially open the Issaquah, Washington-based membership warehouse club chain's newest location shortly after 7:30 a.m.

Henry recalled that his mother worked for 30 years at the old General Electric plant that stood at that same spot from the 1960s until its closure in the early '90s.

"It was an important part of our community and when they left, we wondered and worried about what would happen to this facility," Henry said.

The city and Volusia County partnered with NASCAR to develop the One Daytona "lifestyle and entertainment center" 10 years ago as a complement to the Speedway.

NASCAR invested more than $100 million to develop the 70+-acre complex while the city and county each chipped in $20 million for infrastructure improvements such as new roads and new electric, water and sewer lines.

"We promised (at the time) to bring the best in class to this particular facility," said Henry. I want to thank (NASCAR Executive Vice Chair) Miss (Lesa) France Kennedy and the folks at One Daytona and the folks at Costco for helping us to deliver on that promise because Costco is certainly best in class."

The ribbon-cutting was held in partnership with the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce.

New store draws 500 shoppers in the first half hour

Long lines of shoppers formed on both the south and east sides of the new Costco store prior to its opening.

The line on the south side was for the Costco Liquor store, while the line on the east side was for the regular store.

Randy Ford of Gainesville drove to Daytona Beach to buy his Costco membership on Tuesday with plans to immediately camp out to be one of the first in line for the liquor store.

"They asked us to come back on Wednesday, so I came back on Wednesday at around 5 p.m.," he said, adding that by then there were already a handful of other shoppers.

The first people in line for the regular Costco store were David and Silvia Rosenthal of Palm Coast who arrived at around 5:30 a.m.

"We've been a member of Costco for years," said David Rosenthal, adding that he and his wife had been shopping at the chain's locations in St. Augustine, Jacksonville and Orlando. "We're just happy that they're opening up here in Daytona. It's close to home now. I expect to come every week."

Tamika Barbel, one of the assistant general managers for the Daytona Beach Costco store, said her team had counted 498 customers within the store's first half hour of doing business. "That's extraordinary," she said.

Seattle transplants 'doing a happy dance'

Lindsay Andreotti said she and her dad Jack Kuntz are "doing a happy dance" now that Daytona Beach finally has a Costco store.

The two are both originally from the Seattle, Washington, area where Costco was founded in 1983. "We used to shop at the original location in Kirkland (Washington)," said Andreotti.

Andreotti moved to Daytona Beach three years ago to live at the fast-growing Jimmy Buffett-themed Latitude Margaritaville 55+ community off of LPGA Boulevard. Her dad joined her last year. They remained Costco members even though it meant having to make the long drive to the one in Altamonte Springs. The chain's new location at One Daytona is just a four-mile drive away.

"They really believe in quality," said Andreotti of why she and her dad have remained loyal Costco members all these years. "Everything here is going to be super high quality. Their pricing is awesome. And then their produce and meat is outstanding. We're coming (today) for the salmon."

It's the chain's biggest store in Central Florida

At nearly 162,000 square feet, the Daytona Beach Costco store is the chain's largest in Central Florida, and possibly the entire state, according to Costco officials.

The One Daytona location also has a separate members-only Costco gas station that opened on Feb. 1. It offers 24 fuel pumps and some of the lowest prices for gasoline in the area.

The store currently employs 288 people, with plans to add more to eventually boost its total workforce to 300 to 350.

One Daytona exec hails new Costco store as 'a destination'

"For One Daytona, this is not only an anchor tenant, this is a destination," said One Daytona President Roxanne Ribakoff of the new Costco store. "We are looking forward to extending our market reach. We're looking forward to the amazing built-in foot traffic for the rest of our center and then having this incredible world-class retailer here at One Daytona."

Where is it located?

The Costco store at One Daytona is located at 150 Pit Road, Daytona Beach. It is directly west of the CMX Daytona 12 Luxury Theatres, on the other side of the vast parking lot north of Bass Pro Shoppes.

What are its regular hours of operation?

The regular store hours for the Daytona Beach Costco are 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

How much does it cost to join?

Gold Star memberships which include two membership cards are $60 a year. Executive memberships, which offer more perks and also include two membership cards, are $120 a year.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Daytona Costco draws big crowd on opening day