EMS, PriceRite, Whole Foods in Danbury Open or About To

Plans to open three new or expanded stores just over the Southeast town line in Danbury, CT are on track within the next month.

Eastern Mountain Sports opened Monday at the Shops at Marcus Dairy , and it is planning its grand opening celebration for April 26-28. The new 13,336-square-foot store is twice the size of the previous store in the Danbury Fair Mall, the company said in a prepared release. EMS has been open in the mall since 1994, and the company closed that location Sunday at 3 p.m. with workers packing everything up and opening the new store on time Monday morning.

“Danbury has been an important market for Eastern Mountain Sports," said Mark Walsh, CEO of Eastern Mountain Sports, in the release.

A portion of the grand opening weekend’s proceeds will be donated to The Audubon Center at Bent of the River, a sanctuary for animals and people located in Southbury.

One of the next big stores to open in Danbury is Whole Foods.

"They're very hard to pin down, but they're hinting at a mid-May opening," said Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton referring to Whole Foods, which will open across the parking lot from EMS at the Shops at Marcus Dairy.

At 35 Main St., PriceRite is saying it will open its long-anticipated grocery store on May 22. PriceRite is filling a void left by the closure of Waldbaum Food Mart at that location in 2011. The PriceRite store will serve customers who can walk from several nearby senior housing complexes, including Kimberly Place, Danbury Commons, Palace View, Bishop Curtis Homes and the Glen in Rogers Park. PriceRite is associated with the Shop Rite chain.