A ceremonial ribbon cutting on Friday, held inside to dodge the raindrops, and a special guest appearance by TV personality and Chef Duff Goldman on Saturday saw plenty of people visit the newly renovated Oakdale Save Mart.

Store Manager Tony Angoletta said the store has been freshened up, expanded, streamlined and become a much more user-friendly store.

New features include a ‘grill to order’ station, a seating area for those that want to buy their lunch and eat it there before heading back to work, better lighting and more space to showcase additional products.

“We doubled our fresh produce area, bulk foods is something new for our store,” Angoletta added. “We made the store more efficient, there’s a better flow for shoppers.”

More seafood is now available, as well as sushi and there are many more items being made fresh in the store on a daily basis.

“With our LED lighting, the store is much more energy efficient as well,” said Angoletta.

The renovation project, which also included a full facelift for the outside of the store and the Foothill Oaks Shopping Center on East F Street, was started in July of 2016.

“Huff Construction was tremendous to work with,” Angoletta said of the lead contractor. “They worked in harmony with our engineering department; I just couldn’t be happier.”

The renovation added 5,000 square feet of space to the store.

Angoletta said the best part of his job is meeting the people that come to the store, and with the improvements, he anticipates those that stop by to see the changes will likely become repeat customers.

“I have an awesome team here,” he added of the staff. “I’m blessed to be a part of this community