The former Coles manager said the quiet, community feel of the Border region shone through during the new IGA store's soft opening and despite "a few hiccups" along the way, is confident the store will prosper along with the community.

He has employed 52 people, many of them local to the area.

"We've employed a lot of locals that have had no retail experience but we didn't hire on that basis, we hired based on personality," he said. "We wanted the right people and we've got about 50 - it's been great process and the people are fantastic."

Mr Wells said his store was planning to open from 8am to 8pm, but that could change if demand was high.

"Today we want to iron out any glitches, see what the trade's like, when it's busy, so for the night trade, if it's busy we can set our roster accordingly to serve the customers better," he said.

"We're open 8 until 8 today and we'll just see how things go.

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He said feedback from customers during his soft opening had been nothing but positive and that many were looking forward to the store's grand opening on July 9.

"On the grand opening on July 9 we'll have a barbecue run by the local cricket club," he said.

"There'll be a live broadcast from Austereo in the morning, and facepainting for the local kids."

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