Wal-Mart looks for 500 workers

POULSBO — Even though its building is completed, Wal-Mart officials don’t expect to open its doors at Olhava until late January.

In the meantime, the retail giant has begun accepting applications for all positions at its 203,000-square foot store, which was originally scheduled to open in early January 2006. It will accept applications through Dec. 2 at its hiring center located at Work Source in Bremerton.

“We will hire close to 500 people and we’re currently in the process of taking applications,” said Bob Simek, who will serve as a co-manager of the Olhava store.

The supercenter will be open 24-hours a day and will carry a wide range of retail products plus groceries, a deli and a bakery, Simek said.

“We’ve got a great deli and there will be fresh seafood as well,” he said. “We will also have bays for RVs.”

The opening of the Olhava store will mark the third time Simek has participated in a store’s opening.

“Most of them have been in the Southeast and Midwest,” he said. “It’s going to be a beautiful store.”

Word of the retailer’s hiring phase has generated a lot of interest and the quality of applicants has been impressive, he said.

“There are a lot of good people in this community,” he said. “I think we’ll probably open at the end of January.”

Wal-Mart is not the only national store currently hiring for its Olhava location. Home Depot, which has plans to open Jan. 26, is also accepting applications for its 102,000-square foot building and 38,000-square foot garden center.

Applications can be submitted by going to Home Depot’s Web site, //careers.homedepot.com/grandopenings and checking the Poulsbo store.

Other retailers expected to take their place in the strip mall being developed by Barber Development include Copy It, Mail It; Asiana Bistro; Pink Coconut Tanning Salon; T-Mobile; HairMasters; Payless Shoes; SuperCuts; Bella Cleaners and Peninsula Federal Credit Union.

Harborstone Bank and 1st Federal Savings, along with Jiffy Lube, are anticipated to begin construction in Olhava once the final short plat is approved.

A neighborhood meeting was held Oct. 24 to discuss plans for 185 single-family homes on the southern 41.42 acres of the complex. The next step for the project will be filing a formal application with the city’s planning department.

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