Roseville's newest Costco attracts crowds, optimism for sprawling community

There was a thick blanket of fog and chilly temps worthy of cozy jackets and Ugg boots, but West Roseville was arguably the hottest place in the region on Friday, Jan. 23. Thousands of people excitedly converged at 5200 Baseline Road long before the sun rose to greet the grand opening of a brand new Costco and take advantage of opening-week deals. The store stands in a huge new development space known as Baseline Marketplace in the area of Fiddyment Road and Baseline. The opening was the culmination of a many years-long vision for the area, to transform the vacant land into a bustling, thriving shopping center with Costco as a flagship business. The marketplace will also be home to The Home Depot, Target and other retailers and eateries intended to fill the growing needs and desires of the sprawling Placer County community. There was a ribbon cutting at 7:30 a.m., hosted by the Roseville Chamber of Commerce and other dignitaries shortly before the store officially opened, but eager customers planted themselves in front of the store long before the ceremony. In fact, 24 hours before the grand opening, a significant line of people began camping out, securing their place and ensuring they were the very first customers to step foot inside the new West Roseville Costco. Some early birds were excited to grab great deals on such products as whiskey, but many others were there simply to be part of something fun, exciting and new in their community. Christine is a Roseville resident who was tickled pink to be one of the first customers. "It's exciting to see what they have and be part of something," said Christine, who wasn't shopping for anything in particular. "I'm just going to look around." The huge parking lot was jam-packed with cars, and the crowds became so big people had to park off site and trek it over to the store. But there were also nearby residents who had the luxury of strolling over to the new Costco, such as Charles Sandoval, who arrived 45 minutes before the opening. He lives just half a mile away from the marketplace, so he didn't have to brave the traffic-jammed parking lot. "It's very easy to come here and not worry about parking, but also I've been a Costco member for like 30 years and now that it's in my backyard I had to come on opening day. I just couldn't miss seeing what was going on," said Sandoval. Another nearby resident, Steven Hinton, said he's watched the Costco project from beginning to end. He was excited to finally check it out. "I think it's so needed and it's going to be great. … We've been here getting gas already and I just think the whole experience of Costco coming to the neighborhood is going to be a positive one," said Hinton. "It's nice to have something so big in our backyard and in our neighborhood and we're hoping that it's going to welcome a lot of people; it will be a big friendly community with Costco here." While the new Roseville Costco has all the features of other Costco's, this one also has a car wash next to its gas station – the first of its kind in this region. The Turlock Costco is the next-closest store with that feature. If opening day was any indication, this newest Roseville Costco location will draw in huge numbers. Area residents say it will likely take pressure off the other Roseville location as the community continues to grow and thrive. "I think when they opened the Loomis Costco, that took a lot of backlog from the Roseville Costco," said Hinton. "So I'm hoping this will do the same and on top of that it will be convenient for us to walk over here, get our stuff and go back home ... and get some good savings."