Contact: Colleen Roche (212) 788-2958
Curt Ritter (212) 788-2971
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today celebrated the grand opening of The Home Depot's new 24-hour home-improvement retail store, located at 550 Hamilton Avenue in Brooklyn, by sawing through a two-by-four board -- The Home Depot's version of cutting a ribbon. The new 150,000 square-foot store, the largest store of its kind in the region, will create 360 new jobs, bringing the total number of people employed by The Home Depot in New York City to more than 2,000.
"This is a great day for the people of Brooklyn and for all New Yorkers," said Mayor Giuliani. "For too long New York City has turned its back on the big stores that offer New Yorkers both variety and value. With the grand opening of this Home Depot, 360 people will now have jobs and the people of Brooklyn will be able to shop for competitive prices and choose from more than 40,000 to 50,000 different products.
"Businesses like The Home Depot make tremendous contributions to the City's economy by boosting private sector job growth and investing in our neighborhoods," the Mayor continued. "In addition to jobs created here today, The Home Depot will contribute $5,000 to the Crown Heights Youth Collective, reaffirming its commitment to the surrounding community.
"I want to thank The Home Depot for taking part in the economic growth that's been taking place throughout Brooklyn. From the Atlantic Center, which has brought great shopping to Downtown, to the Renaissance Plaza, which will be the first new hotel built in Brooklyn in 50 years, it's a great time to be in business in Brooklyn," the Mayor concluded.