Long speculated but finally confirmed last Thursday, Marvin's Building Materials and Home Centers will make its home in a portion of the old Wal-Mart building in Interstate Plaza.

Expected opening date is sometime in March 2006, according to Boyden Moore, Marvin's President and CEO. The store will also generate approximately 25 new jobs for the Camellia City.

&#8220We've always felt real positive about the Greenville market,” said Boyd in a prepared statement. &#8220It's a wonderful city. We actually had a list of several hundred sites, but decided Greenville was best for our newest store.”

The Greenville Marvin's will be the 25th such for the company that started in 1945 as a single hardware store in Gadsden. While the majority of Marvin's are predominantly located in northern Alabama, the retailer also has stores in Atmore and Brewton, as well as DeFuniak Springs, Fla., and in several cities in Mississippi.

The arrival of Marvin's should generate a big boost in customers for the businesses currently occupying Interstate Plaza. Wal-Mart's departure significantly handicapped those businesses, and Winn-Dixie's announcement to close its store because of financial difficulties cast doubtful shadows on the shopping center's future. Additionally, having two of the biggest stores in Interstate Plaza sit unoccupied did not look good for Greenville because of the amount of traffic flowing south along I-65.

So let us be the first to say, &#8220Welcome to Greenville, Marvin's.”