LAYTON -- Lance Wolfley does not need to find a reason to leave town.
Wolfley, a member of the Davis Chamber of Commerce, joked during Thursday's ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new C-A-L Ranch Stores location that he used to come up with excuses to go to Farr West, or even Logan, to shop at one of his favorite stores.
"I won't have to tell my wife that I'm going to visit my sister," he said.
On Thursday, C-A-L Ranch Stores held a grand-opening celebration for its new store in Layton, located in the building that used to house Dick's Market at 88 S. Fairfield Road. The store is C-A-L Ranch Stores' 15th location, and ninth in Utah.
A lot has changed for C-A-L Ranch since opening its first Utah store in Logan in 1998.
"We're getting a lot of people new to C-A-L Ranch that have heard of us, and that's something we're especially excited for," said Jerry Ward, president of C-A-L Ranch Stores. "It's fun to have the reputation we have in the community, and we did not have that when we first opened the store in Logan."
The store had a soft-opening late last week in order to get employees ready for this weekend. By noon on Thursday, the parking lot outside the store was packed.
Ward said that the company has been looking for a location in Layton for a few years, but could not find the right one. Then, about two months ago when the company had nearly selected a spot, he got a phone call saying there might be a better location for the new store.
Dick's Marketplace closed at the end of 2010, leaving Layton city with a vacant building to fill. While there are still some vacant buildings around the city, getting this one filled so quickly is a good sign.
"Layton is still as vibrant as it has been, maybe even more vibrant than it has been," said Layton Mayor Steve Curtis.
Ward said there is something about Layton that is not normal for C-A-L Ranch Store locations.
"One thing about Layton is, it's a little more urban than some of the markets we've been in," he said.
That, Ward said, is a good thing. While the store has a good reputation among ranchers and farmers, especially in Idaho where C-A-L Ranch is based, Ward said its target shopper is now a homeowner.
Both city officials and C-A-L Ranch executives see the new location as a perfect fit.
"It's good to see such a fine, established company in such a fine city," Curtis said.
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