Customers formed a lengthy line, snaking around the building, just to sneak a peek at the newly-opened County Market building on Tuesday.

Inside, County Market workers and various brand representatives greeted customers with food samples while answering questions about the new store.

Customers formed lines to sample treats from the new self-serve Caribou Coffee machine, grabbing pieces of cake from the new state-of-the-art bakery, and picked up samples of potato salad from the deli.

Catherine Butler, the bakery manager, was passing out samples of chocolate and vanilla cake to customers during Tuesday’s opening.

“If you have to work, you might as well love your job,” Butler said.

Tabitha Davis, a County Market worker who works with the produce, was handing out pens, key chains, golf tees, umbrellas, lemon faucets, juicers and citrus peelers to customers near the entrance of the store.

Davis said she loves the new store because it is bigger in size and haa a larger selection of products.

The new building also features a second-story mezzanine, equipped with a closed-off study room, fireplace, comfortable couches and various tables.

The mezzanine also features blown up, black and white historical images from Eastern’s pass that County Market acquired from Booth Library.

Michelle Evans, a Charleston resident and County Market shopper, waited in the checkout line that curved around the aisles and wound through the freezer section.

Evans, who said her husband was the one who convinced her to come to the opening, said she liked the new self-serve Caribou Coffee machine and the fact that the new store offered organic selections.

Evans said her daughter, an Eastern student, liked to eat healthy and she appreciated the fact that County Market had new organic offerings.

Emily Gardewine, a junior art major and cake decorator at County Market, said she works at the store two days during the week and also on the weekends.

Gardewine also said she loves the new state-of-the-art ovens and equipment in the bakery.

“(They) makes beautiful, beautiful bread,” Gardewine said.

Judith Stapp, of Charleston, said she usually shops at County Market once a week and loves the new building.

“Awesome. That’s the only word you can think of,” Stapp said. “It’s so much bigger, so much better and so much more choice.”

John Taber, the store director of the Charleston County Market, said the new store has been a work in process for a year or two.

“You can’t imagine how many hours,” Taber said.

During the ribbon cutting ceremony, the County Market workers and Taber used a giant pair of gold novelty scissors, provided to them by the Charleston Area Chamber of Commerce.

Members from County Market’s parent company, Neimann Foods, Inc., gave a small presentation where they discussed the need for the new building and how the old building will be torn down within the next 30 days to provide additional parking for the new store.

Jim Cox, vice president and director of operations, and Chris Neimann, the executive vice president and chief financial officer, awarded President Bill Perry and Barbara Burke, the director of Eastern’s athletic department, with a $10,000 check to the Panther Club.

“We look forward to a growing relationship with EIU,” Chris said.

Mayor John Inyart also spoke during the presentation, thanking County Market and Neimann Foods for the investment in the Charleston community with the new store. Inyart also said there was a need for the new store and he appreciated Neimann Foods for recognizing that need.

Kathryn Richter can be reached at 581-2812 or kjrichter@eiu.edu.