Dover Saddlery President Stephen Day uses an oversized pair of scissors to cut the ribbon, thus opening a new Dover store in Warrington, Pennsylvania on Friday, June 15th. The Warrington location (north of Philadelphia) is the retailer's 15th location.

DOVER SADDLERY STAGES A 'GRAND OPENING'

You could not have asked for better weather. The sun was out. Temperatures were in the upper '60's. Perfect riding weather for a mid-June morning.

However at 9:00AM on June 15th many horse people were waiting in front of the new Dover Saddlery Retail Store on the southbound side of Route 611 in Warrington, Pennsylvania. Nearly all the parking spaces in the front of the shopping plaza were taken. The store was to open at any second, becoming the 15th store for the chain. Passersby could be excused for thinking something big was about to happen. Could there be a ticketmaster location about to sell Justin Bieber tickets in that shopping plaza? Nope. Just sensible horse people about to shop.

Just as the Dover website had said would happen, the entire staff popped out at 9:00AM for the Ribbon-Cutting ceremony. Dover President Stephen Day was given an oversized pair of scissors and the ribbon was cut. Within 60 seconds the crowd in the parking lot had disappeared through the ornate entrance.

The brand-new store joins other Dover Saddlery locations in Plaistow, New Hampshire; Wellesley, Massachusetts; North Kingstown, Rhode Island; Branchburg, New Jersey; Hockessin, Delaware; Hunt Valley, Maryland; Crofton, Maryland; Chantilly, Virginia; Lexington, Virginia; Charlottesville, Virginia; Alpharetta, Georgia; Libertyville, Illinois; Dallas, Texas and Parker, Colorado. Each of the Dover retail stores has a similar design though some (such as the multi-storied location in Plaistow) seem larger than others. The Warrington location seems large enough, with the traditional Dover saddle room being one of the notable features. If one 'department' of the store attracted the most customers when the doors opened it was the riding boot department. After nearly an hour customers were still trying on boots as well as half-chaps that were in this area. Though many had come through the doors in such a short time the staff had everything under control in a moment's notice. The store had a 'movie set' quality in that despite the large crowd no area appeared to be 'disturbed' as all product appeared to be in the correct place.

Dover Director of Corporate Communications Janet Nittmann joins Day for a photo in the saddle room. When you enter the Warrington store the Saddle room will be ahead on your left while most riding apparel will be on the right.

With a large crowd expected there were Dover employees not only from the brand-new Warrington store but from neighboring locations in Branchburg and Hockessin. One manager from the Alpharetta store traveled all the way to the Philadelphia area to help. Also on hand were several individuals associated with product lines carried by Dover.

Several Dover Corporate employees also took part. Joining President Day were Director of Retail Ken Cavanaugh and Director of Corporate Communications Janet Nittmann. Each spent time answering questions and assisting customers in any way possible.

Day explained that Dover has "a specific software program which examines (Dover's) call center and internet traffic." This program helps Dover make decisions as to where they might open addtional stores in the future.

Many who were shopping had indeed read about the Warrington Store opening via e-mails sent out by Dover. In addition to the 'Grand Opening Specials' customers had a chance to win a $500.00 shopping spree. One of the shoppers on hand was Wendy Myers, who for several seasons coached the Drexel University IHSA team. The store had not been open 30 minutes and Myers had already filled a bucket with items from 50 percent of the store.

"I have a bridle, a saddlepad, polo wraps, a grooming bag, a brush and a hoof pick and I am still shopping!" said Myers, who was not the only individual with an IHSA connection in the building. At least two Warrington employees are current IHSA riders. The Warrington location is less than three miles from Delaware Valley College, a frequent visitor to IHSA post-season shows and the Tournament of Champions series. Myers also lives nearby, which in a way means one less customer visiting Hockessin or Branchburg but perhaps a more frequent customer for Warrington.

On the surface the Warrington store has the traditional Dover appearance. But while most retail stores (tack shops or otherwise) don't have a rest room for customers the Warrington Dover store has separate Men's and Women's rooms for their patrons!

Day mentioned that the Dover stores are always looking for part-time help. Should someone go off to college to ride for a team and that team is located near a Dover store they may want to apply. Day also indicated that Dover sometimes offers summer internships at their offices in Littleton, Massachusetts (in the greater Boston area). At the moment Dover is looking for potential interns with internet and IT skills.

While the grand opening may have been at 9AM the 'specials throughout the store' will continue through Sunday (June 17th). When this writer told Myers that he would hopefully have a story about the grand opening written and on-line later that day she was hopeful it would generate interest in the immediate area. In any event Myers herself would be spreading the word.

"I will tell everyone else to come here so they can pick me up on the way!"

--Steve Maxwell

(This particular Dover Saddlery store is located at 1438 Easton Road in Warrington, Pennsylvania - with a zip code of 18976 for GPS or Mapquest purposes. Easton Road is part of Route 611. The Warrington store is 6.5 miles north of Exit 343 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Once headed north from Exit 343 Dover is on the left-hand side. For information or directions to other Dover store locations or to order product on-line please visit their website at www.doversaddlery.com)