Orchard Supply touches down on the East Coast

Orchard Supply Hardware is moving beyond its familiar terrain on the West Coast with the opening of new stores in Florida, beginning with a Fort Lauderdale location next week.

The Fort Lauderdale store will be the retailer's first East Coast neighborhood store, boasting 30,000 sq. ft. of space and a 7,000 sq. ft. nursery. It will officially open its doors on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

"The entire Orchard team is excited to get to know our neighbors in South Florida," said Bob Tellier, president of Orchard Supply Hardware. "At Orchard, we hire happy, talented people who love to help customers get more enjoyment out of their homes. Whether that means easily tackling little projects to express their personal style and keep things running effortlessly, or creating an outdoor oasis to enjoy the beautiful South Florida weather, we are dedicated to serving our neighbors in warm, welcoming human-sized stores and as members of the community."

The store will be followed by three additional openings in Broward County, including Weston, Deerfield and Coral Springs through the end of 2016.

Continuing that streak in 2017 will be more Orchard Supply store openings throughout the state, with an average of 45 associates per store.

But for now, in Fort Lauderdale, the employees have already started their community outreach via volunteer efforts, such as cleaning up a stretch of beach with the Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep team.

"This is just one of the first ways we've brought our neighbors helping neighbors motto to life in South Florida," said David Rosa, district manager of South Florida, Orchard. "The event provided a preview of who we are, and as our stores open, each team will be looking for ways to help in their neighborhoods and the communities we serve."

San Jose, California-based Orchard Supply Hardware currently operates 77 stores in California and three in Oregon.