ALDI Opens October 14th; Grand Opening 15th

We’ve received official word from ALDI that the Grand Opening of their West Boca store will be on October 15th.

To celebrate the opening of the first Boca Raton store, ALDI will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. Following the ceremony, the first 100 shoppers will receive a golden ticket, each containing ALDI gift certificates of various amounts.

Unofficially we think the store will open for business on October 14th, as shown by a handwritten sign on the front and what we’ve heard from other sources – see images below and at top.

The new store is located in West Boca Square, the plaza on the northwest corner of 441 and Palmetto Park Road. Target is at the north end of the plaza with Chili’s at the south end. ALDI will open next to Hobby Lobby in part of the space formerly occupied by Beall’s. It is unclear how the store will look at this moment in time.
We previously wrote about ALDI coming to West Boca in May of last year. It took a year and a half, but they’re coming.
Here’s the official release:
On Thursday, Oct. 15, ALDI, the nation’s low-price grocery leader*, will offer Boca Raton shoppers a smarter alternative as it opens its first Boca Raton store, located at 21759 State Road 7. With more than 1,400 stores in 32 states, ALDI is known for high-quality grocery items at incredibly low prices.
To celebrate the opening of the new Boca Raton store, ALDI will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15. The public is invited to attend. Following the ceremony, the first 100 shoppers will receive a golden ticket, each containing ALDI gift certificates of various amounts. Customers can also tour the store, sample ALDI exclusive brand products and enter an on-site sweepstakes for a chance to win a year’s supply of ALDI produce. ALDI currently carries nearly 70 varieties of fruits and vegetables, including several organic produce items.
“We look forward to introducing Boca Raton shoppers to ALDI, where they can find the majority of their average weekly shopping list from our exclusive brand products – including fresh meats, fruits, vegetables and bakery items – for up to 50 percent** less,” said Chris Hewitt, Royal Palm Beach division vice president for ALDI. “We are committed to bringing ALDI customers the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices in a simple and easy-to-navigate shopping environment.”
The Boca Raton store features high ceilings, natural lighting and environmentally-friendly building materials – such as recycled materials and energy-saving refrigeration and light bulbs – to ensure that customers enjoy a shopping experience that is simple and easy to navigate.
In addition to the store’s new look, ALDI will bring shoppers a wide range of new, healthier options like organic produce, USDA Choice beef and the SimplyNature line of products, free of artificial colors, flavors or unnecessary enhancers. ALDI also recently introduced its liveGfreeTM gluten-free product line.
Customers can expect to find more than 1,300 of the most commonly purchased items sold under ALDI exclusive brands for prices up to 50 percent less than traditional supermarkets. To ensure its exclusive brands meet or exceed the national brands on taste and quality, ALDI conducts rigorous testing on all products. ALDI stands behind this quality with a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with a food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the customer’s money.
ALDI exemplifies efficiency by eliminating overhead costs through smart practices, such as a cart rental system, through which shoppers insert a quarter to release a cart and receive the quarter back upon the cart’s return. Other cost-saving practices include a smaller store footprint, open carton displays and encouragement of customers to bring their own shopping bags.
ALDI also saves shoppers money by keeping stores open during prime shopping times. The newest location will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. ALDI accepts cash, debit and EBT cards.
Over the next several years, ALDI plans to add an average of 130 new stores each year, expanding the ability to bring grocery savings to more people every day.
About ALDI Inc.
A leader in the grocery retailing industry, ALDI operates more than 1,400 US stores in 32 states, primarily from Kansas to the East Coast. More than 30 million customers each month save up to 50 percent** on their grocery bills, benefiting from the ALDI simple and streamlined approach to retailing. ALDI sells more than 1,300 of the most frequently purchased grocery and household items, primarily under its exclusive brands, which must meet or exceed the national name brands on taste and quality. ALDI is so confident in the quality of its products, the company offers a Double Guarantee: If for any reason a customer is not 100 percent satisfied with any ALDI food product, ALDI will gladly replace the product and refund the purchase price. ALDI was named the 2014 Retailer of the Year by Store Brands Magazine for its strong commitment to value and innovation-focused private brand product development. For more information about ALDI, visit www.aldi.us.

New Habitat Store Opening on Yamato

Former CVS building on northwest corner of 441 and Yamato; image by Google.
Former CVS building on northwest corner of 441 and Yamato; image by Google.

The Sun-Sentinel‘s Marci Shatzman reports that a new store from Habitat for Humanity will be opening in the small plaza on the north side of Yamato just west of 441.

The plaza currently has a Sherwin-Williams paint store along with a pre-school that is also one of the locations for the Quality Swimming school.

Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores and donation centers that sell new and gently used furniture, home accessories, building materials, and appliances to the public at a fraction of the retail price.

ReStores are already in our area, with one on Dixie Highway in East Boca and another on Federal Highway in Delray. The new store on Yamato will be, like those two, owned and operated by the Habitat affiliate for South Palm Beach County.
The store is expected to open August 22nd though it may not yet be fully stocked. Hours will be from 10 to 6, 6 days a week (closed on Monday).

Pei Wei To Open June 29th and …

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We received an erroneous press release from Pei Wei this morning, which seemed to indicate the new restaurant at Glades and 441 is already open. We stopped by today. They were supposed to open but it got pushed back two weeks for unspecified reasons.
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That’s not all that’s going on the plaza. We asked around and got details on all the shops that will be open, as discussed in this video:

Facing the new mini-plaza looking from the corner of Glades and 441, from left to right there will be a Vision Works, Verizon Wireless, Mattress Firm, European Wax, and then Pei Wei at the southern end.
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From Pei Wei’s press release:

The newest tenant in the Westwinds of Boca shopping plaza, Pei Wei will introduce 50 jobs to the area and is part of an expansion plan that will bring another Pei Wei to nearby Pompano Beach later this summer.
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The restaurant is located at 9930 Glades Road and is open from 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday for both dine-in and takeout customers. Takeout orders can be placed by calling 561-483-7067 or visiting www.PeiWei.com.
Pei Wei Asian Diner serves freshly prepared, wok’d-to-order dishes with Asian inspiration in a comfortable, modern diner environment. Pei Wei owns and operates 193 restaurants in 25 states and the District of Columbia and licenses the Pei Wei brand for use by partner restaurant operators in airport and international locations.
Menu highlights include:
NEW Ways to Kung Pao: The fan-favorite Classic Kung Pao Wok Entrée combines chili seared soy sauce with hand-cut scallions, garlic, snap peas, carrots and peanuts, served with choice of protein and white or brown rice. For a limited time, fans of this craveworthy dish can enjoy the Lighter Kung Pao Wok Entrée, swapping the rice for crisp lettuce cups, or grab their chopsticks and try the new Kung Pao Shrimp Sushi, a sushi roll topped with crispy shrimp, crumbled peanuts and kung pao sauce.
NEW Sushi Crunch Rolls: Topped with tempura flakes to pack the ultimate crunch, the hand-rolled Teriyaki Crunch Roll and Wasabi Crunch Roll are bold twists on classic sushi favorites.
Light and Fresh Salads: Pei Wei has a selection of lighter salads like the Asian Chopped Chicken Salad, tossed with sliced chicken, assorted lettuce, Napa cabbage, carrots, Thai basil, tomatoes, crispy wontons, toasted sesame seeds and sesame ginger vinaigrette.
Wok Fresh Entrées: Pei Wei is known for its made-to-order wok dishes, fired in 700-degree woks to seal in the bold flavors. Popular picks include the Honey Seared Wok Entrée. Recommended with crispy chicken or shrimp, this dish combines sweet honey garlic sauce, chili oil, rice sticks, scallions and red peppers. On the savory side, the Mongolian Wok Entrée, recommended with tender beef, mixes soy sauce, scallions, garlic and white mushrooms.
Perfect Additions: Complete any meal with a number of options including edamame, Vietnamese Chicken Salad Rolls and the signature hand-rolled Vegetable Spring Rolls.

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Closings: Shorty's BBQ and GBS Beauty

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Two businesses closed recently in West Boca, both off of 441. The most prominent is Shorty’s BBQ which was located in The Reserve shopping center on the southeast corner of Clint Moore and 441, near Ben’s Deli, Villa Rosano and Tempura House. We had been there a couple times and liked it, but somehow we didn’t make it back there that often.
There has been no official announcement but a couple of our readers contacted the Miami location and were told the closing is permanent. We don’t know for sure but we suspect that the success of Sweet Dewey’s BBQ (one of our favorite places to eat) cut into Shorty’s business.
Also, GBS Beauty in Boca Greens (west side of 441, halfway between Yamato and Glades) closed. The following message was on the door:
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The remaining store on St. Andrews is still in what we consider West Boca since we draw the line at Military Trail.

Bomb Squad Called to Mission Bay Plaza: Video and Photos

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Around 10 am today we were tipped off to a situation at Mission Bay Plaza. Readers and friends told us that there was a heavy police presence along with fire trucks. We headed over and took both pictures and video.
The main part of the story is a “suspicious package” that was found in the parking area between TD Bank and Bank of America. You can see a wide version of the scene in our photo at top. It took some time but eventually the Sheriff’s “EOD” team (Explosive Ordnance Disposal or bomb squad) determined that the package was safe to handle. In the sequence of photos below you can see an armored bomb squad member approach it, pick it up, and then start bringing it to their truck along with another team member who is even more heavily armored. PBSO tells us this was not the package in question, but watching it on scene we don’t see what else it could have been.
Another reader agrees with PBSO though:

There was something else made up of an umbrella, some sort of plastic container with a water bottle and some coins.

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Please note that all photos in this article are copyrighted by Warren Redlich. Media are welcome to reuse them by simply crediting @WestBocaNews or WestBocaNews.com. Most photos are available in higher resolution just by clicking on them.

There was a lot of police and fire rescue activity around the plaza. A large section of the parking lot and the area around the two banks were evacuated and blocked off by police tape.
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The bomb squad truck was in operation near Bank of America.
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After the package was secured, the heavily armored bomb squad team member got some help getting the helmet off.
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The suspicious package itself just looks like a tool kit:
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We asked PBSO for comment:

We received a call from Bank of America, located on Glades Road and 441, of a suspicious package. Deputies arrived evacuated both Bank of America and TD Bank then contained the area until Bomb and Arson arrived. Bomb and Arson arrived checked out the package and determined that there was no threat. Both banks were opened to continue business as usual.

We shot some video at the scene. Here’s our initial report:

Here's our initial report from the scene at Mission Bay this morning. Our full report is coming soon.

Posted by West Boca News on Thursday, April 30, 2015

And here’s our final video:

Our final video on the Mission Bay Bomb Squad incident. We will also do an article. Pictures at the end of the video.

Posted by West Boca News on Thursday, April 30, 2015