The Preston and Royal location of the Central Market was damaged by a severe tornado in 2019.
Now, the grocer is celebrating reopening its doors to the community.
“Last night we celebrated the grand reopening with community, tastings and a beautiful ribbon cutting ceremony,” the Central Market posted on Facebook. “We are so honored to reopen our doors this morning, and we look forward to welcoming back all of our guests and neighbors!”
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson was there for the ceremony and said it’s exciting to see the community rebuild from the tornado.
“In October 2019, North Dallas was devastated by an EF-3 tornado. I knew we would build back stronger than ever. This city does not stay down. Tonight was the latest chapter in our comeback story as we welcomed people back to the @CentralMarket at Preston and Royal,” Johnson said in a Twitter post.
The store reopened its doors on June 30 after a 20-month rebuilding process following the tornado, as covered in a company press release.
Central Market’s reopening represents “a major milestone in the rebirth of the popular neighborhood shopping center,” the store said in a press release.
The store’s floor plan has been modified to incorporate new features including the addition of curbside pickup with 10 new curbside parking spots, the company said in a news release.
The store also expanded the café in the store is hopes of welcoming customers back, the release said.
“Our Central Market Partners and the entire Preston Royal community stepped up during this time of rebuilding and recovery,” said Stephen Butt, president, Central Market/H-E-B Division in a company statement. “While this was a total community effort, I am especially proud of our Preston Royal Partners who have gone above and beyond to continue to serve this neighborhood. The silver lining here is that our Preston Royal store is stronger and better, and we are ready to welcome back our loyal customers to provide them the service and shopping experience they deserve.”
The Central Market said it wanted to celebrate the reopening by giving back to the community.
The store made a gift of $20,000 to Preston Hollow Elementary School and $20,000 to St. Mark’s School of Texas, the company said in a statement.
The store is increasing its staff again with many store positions posted on the store’s job site.
