Crestline Piggly Wiggly officially open for business

Mountain Brook residents didn’t waste a second Friday morning, strolling the aisles of their new Crestline Piggly Wiggly.

The Pig, as it is affectionately known around town, officially opened its doors this morning, June 3, to a crowd brimming with excitement. The store’s owners, Andy Virciglio and Naseem and Basim Ajlouny, as well as city council members, chamber officials, store employees and countless Pig lovers circled around as Mayor Terry Oden helped lead the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“Well, it’s been two-and-a-half years since we were standing in the old Pig parking lot,” he said, “wailing and gnashing our teeth, thinking the world was coming to an end when the old Pig left.”

Today, the Pig’s opening, said Oden, was like a “phoenix, risen from the ashes.”

It’s a comeback, he said, that took a village to pull off.

“I know of no other project in the world like this,” he said, “where the city, the owners, financiers, neighbors, school, architects and the community, all came together to find a solution.”

The project, he said, is “fantastic.”

Council Pro Tem Billy Pritchard agreed.

“It’s a wonderful building,” he said, “magnificent.”

What’s even more impressive, said Pritchard, was how everything seemed to come together without disruption to the fabric of the community.

“When a community need is identified,” he said, “there are always a number of remarkable citizens who come forward to try and find a solution.”

Along with residents like Kathryn Corey, he said, the community should thank Miller Gorrie and especially his wife, Frances, for their role in bringing the Pig back to Crestline. Pritchard said he remembers standing with Gorrie by the City Hall fountain one evening following one of several Pig-related meetings when he pointed to the lot across the street.

“What about that spot there?” Pritchard said he remembers Gorrie asking.

Pritchard agreed it was a good spot, but a tricky one. In order for it to work, the plan would somehow have to include public access from Church Street—through the Region’s parking lot.

“I knew if anyone could speak with the bank and work with them to find a solution,” said Pritchard, “it would be Miller Gorrie.”

And that he did.

“Many of you drove up that road this morning,” he said, “the pig trail to the new Pig.”

Before the official ribbon cutting, both Naseem and Virciglio thanked everyone who had supported the project all along.

“We wouldn’t be back here and open again without all of you,” said Virciglio.

At its new location, 41 Church St., the 18,000 square-foot Crestline Piggly Wiggly is “bigger and better,” said Virciglio in a previous interview. The building itself has some 28,250 square feet of gross floor area. By contrast, the old store had about 11,400 square feet of retail space and 3,600 square feet of storage space. The parking lot is also more expansive. A total of 90 parking spaces surround the store, double the old store’s 45 parking places.

Reclaimed wood, broader aisles, expanded product selections and unique offerings are all part of the new store. The Pig has its own wine section, complete with wine barrels selected by the owners, as well as twinkling chandeliers. The expanded beer section will include even more craft selections and a growler bar. The deli will have a salad bar, a soup bar and even a milkshake bar. The meat and fish section will feature not only Certified Angus Beef and a larger fresh, never-frozen fish selection, but an aged-meat cooler as well. The store’s LED lights and completely-enclosed coolers will prove more energy efficient, as will the two sets of double doors at the entrance.

As soon as Stanley Virciglio cut the ribbon, shoppers hurried away to begin filling their shopping baskets with some of their old favorites and staples. Wll-known employee Arrelia Callins’ checkout line was of course, was the longest.

Several other former Crestling Pig employees, like Sam, who Oden described as “the best bag man in town,” spent time welcoming back regulars today.

Along with their favorite employees, customers can also expect to see the return of locally-sourced products, food from local restaurants and of course, the charm of its favorite neighborhood store.

For a look back at the Pig’s return, click here.