COLUMBIA, Md. — Just about all of us are feeling the pinch in the checkout aisle these days. But one local family is hoping their new Grocery Outlet, a discount grocery chain, will soon help folks bring home the basics in Howard County.
The Mirzas are putting on the finishing touches ahead of the grand opening this Thursday on Lynx Lane in Columbia.
"We're really excited, because we feel a sense of welcoming from the community," noted Jay Mirza, operator of the Columbia location, to WMAR.
Jay and Rizwana Mirza have put a lot of work into preparing the operation.
"I'm here usually, 7 in the morning and I don't leave 10, 11, 12 at night," Jay added.
That work includes letting nearby neighbors know.
"We go door-to-door advertising ourselves, kind of, letting know the community that we're here," Rizwana recalled.
The chain is focused on discount groceries; in Maryland, the cost of living is already high, and so is the continued toll of inflation in recent years, a fact not lost on the Mirzas.
"I feel the community is in need of value for every dollar they have. That's what I'm hearing from the customers," Jay told WMAR.
On Thursday, the store's first 100 customers can receive gift cards ranging from $5 to $500, the company said in a news release.
The California-based affordable grocery chain will have a dozen locations in the state, having recently opened a Cockeysville location.
MORE: Grocery Outlet supermarket opening soon in Cockeysville
Folks have already gotten curious, and WMAR saw many wander to the front door asking when it would be open.
"They're really excited," Jay said. "They've made us more excited because of the fact they're so excited to see we're coming. They just can't wait for us to open up."
