When Schnucks opened in Warrenton Nov. 7, a crowd lined up to see the new store — and members of the Schnuck family were there to greet them.Schnucks is located in Bent Oak Crossing at 499 East Veterans Memorial Parkway. The store’s regular hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.Not only is this the first Schnucks in Warrenton, it’s the first store of its kind for the company. The 37,000-square-foot footprint is smaller than the typical Schnucks format. Its focus is on freshness. The counters and shelves line the perimeter of the store.On opening day the store greeted customers at 7 a.m. People were there early and were coming and going all day.The parking lot was full, so people just arriving made a few laps around before they made their own spots around Schnucks and nearby businesses.“This is fantastic — this is how a small town does a grand opening,” said Maggie Hase, who works in Warrenton.While store employees tended to finishing touches inside, they saw people lining up outside before the 7 a.m. opening. They opened a few minutes ahead of schedule.Shoppers had about two hours to look around, fill their carts, taste samples and socialize before the ceremonial ribbon cutting at 9 a.m., led by Todd Schnuck.Schnuck said the markets have been family owned for about 80 years, then he looked over the crowd huddled together near the bakery and deli. “I’m sorry it took us 80 years to get here,” he said.He talked about how Anna Schnuck opened the first store in North St. Louis in 1939. Her descendants, now in the hands of the family’s third generation, went on to grow the company. They added pharmacy services and opened in multiple locations.Warrenton is Schnucks’ 119th store, he said.The company employs more than 14,000 people. The new Warrenton store has about 70 “teammates” or employees. Of those, more than 50 are new hires.Schnuck said there were about 600 applicants.Shane Smith, the store manager, relocated from the Schnucks Cross Keys store in Florissant. Jen Unnerstall is co-manager. She joined the company with the Shop ’n Save acquisition.Schnuck said he's impressed with the talent and enthusiasm of the staff.Schnucks stores are in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa, but “we are very local,” he said.The company exists to nourish people, he added, and nourish communities.“We really try to focus on the community, not only with what we offer in the store, but also supporting the community,” Schnuck said.The company showed such support in June, when they gave a $30,000 donation to the Warren County Tribute to Veterans Memorial.Each year, the company donates more than $13 million in food to food pantries.Warrenton Mayor Eric Schleuter took part in the ribbon cutting with Schnuck. He welcomed the store and talked about how residents support the store.“The parking lot is so full you can hardly find a spot. (This crowd) shows how excited we are to have you here,” Schleuter said.Following the ceremony, Kris Boly, Warrenton, was shopping the aisles with an armful of products. She said it was too busy to do serious shopping, she would pick another day, but she needed to pick up a few things.She said the new store is nice, and convenient.“I was looking forward to shopping a bakery, deli and meat department and they’re all here,” she said.

Warrenton Mayor Eric Schleuter, left, cuts the ribbon with Todd Schnuck with Schnuck Markets. Schnuck spoke at the ribbon-cutting ceremony Nov. 7, saying this smaller store format is the first of its kind for the company.

Record Photo/Kate Miller