Costco's Amherst opening likely set for early fall

AMHERST, N.Y. (WBEN)......Work continues on Costco's new Amherst store, but its doors probably won't open until fall.

While there were some media reports indicating the 164,576-square-foot store along Ridge Lea Road had an August opening, development sources told WBEN that early fall was always the targeted opening date - depending on supply chain issues either late September or early October.

The store will be Costco's first in the immediate Buffalo Niagara region and is one of the retailing anchors for Benderson Development Co.'s The Boulevard shopping center.

Dick's House of Sports, which co-anchors the Boulevard expansion, opened earlier this spring.

The sprawling store sits on 16.6 acres of land that Costco paid $6 million last August - just before construction started. Costco is investing $22.5 million building and developing the Amherst store.

AJ Baynes, Amherst Chamber of Commerce president and CEO, said it is not unusual for retailers, especially big box stores, to be conservative with estimated opening dates.

"You have to be ready on 'Day One'," Baynes said. :"You can't be working off of a lengthy punch list while you have thousands of customers walking through the store."

Costco's opening is one of the most watched and anticipated local retailing debuts in recent years.

Some had hoped it would be ready this spring to coincide with Dick's House of Sport opening, but that was never in Costco's development time line.

"You want to make sure everything is place," Baynes said.

Costco, according to its website, will be opening a store in Albany this August. Construction on that store began before work commenced on the Amherst store.

"Moving its opening date to the fall is not going to change the enthusiasm that is building for the store," Baynes said.