‘We wanted to be first’: Locals line up at new HomeSense, Winners

Residents began lining up outside the new superstore as early as 8 a.m. Tuesday; outlet is latest completed development in the growing Northern Avenue Plaza

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1 / 1 Saultites began lining up outside the new HomeSense and Winners superstore as early as 8 a.m. for its opening day on May 30, 2023.Alex Flood/SooToday

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Sault residents Bernie Lauzon and his niece Amy Chicarelli were the first ones in line at the opening of the long-awaited HomeSense and Winners superstore this morning.

Arriving to the Northern Avenue Plaza around 8 a.m. Tuesday, Chicarelli says she had only one goal in mind: “We wanted to be first,” she said. “I’ve never been to a HomeSense before.”

Chicarelli’s uncle happily joined her at the front of the line, ahead of several dozen other locals who were excited to get a first look inside the 32,500-foot superstore.

He wasn’t sure they’d make it in time to be at the front of the line.

“My niece’s kids were going to daycare, so she came and grabbed me after,” Lauzon says. “People could have been coming like crazy, you never know.”

“I’m hoping to find a coffee maker for my mom,” he adds. “She’s 88, she’s been dealing with this one coffee maker forever – it leaks and it makes noise.”

Just a few spots behind them in the lineup was Michelle Rennison, who enjoyed going to HomeSense in Sudbury.

“I thought the lineup today would actually be longer,” she says.

“I’ve always supported new stores, so it’s nice to come and see a new one in the Sault. It’s also nice to see the plaza built up now. Before, it wasn’t really anything. So it’s great to see something positive in town.”

Formerly a K-Mart, a Zellers, and most recently a Lowe’s, the property had been sitting vacant for some time before SooToday learned last September that renovations had begun for HomeSense and Winners, as well as Princess Auto, which opened its doors in March.

The former Winners location at 44 Great Northern Rd. had been closed since May 25 prior to Tuesday’s opening.

SooToday attempted to take photos inside the new store, but a manager said it was against their policy.

Meanwhile, developments for a new five-unit site have begun next to the strip mall after the former Pennington’s and Red Lobster was demolished over the Victoria Day weekend.

It is believed one of those units will become a Stacked Pancake & Breakfast House – a popular franchise that started in Innisfil, Ont. in 2014 with 12 locations across the province.