The parking lot outside of BJ’s Wholesale Club in Town Madison was almost full on Wednesday, giving the impression to onlookers that the store was already open for business.

That was not the case for the store at 165 Graphics Drive next door to the Hilton Garden Inn. The vehicles belonged to many of the store’s 150 team members, who were finishing stocking shelves and getting things ready for customers for the store’s grand opening today.

“There’s been a lot of hard work with team members,” said Briana Keene, senior manager for external communications. “They do a tremendous job. It’s not just one department. It’s all hands-on deck … It took a lot of hard work to get this up and running.”

The store is the first in Alabama. Today, the chain has stores in 20 states, stretching from Maine to Florida. The club in Madison is the chain’s 239th store.

Keene said team members have been “overwhelmed” by support from the community. People have been signing up for memberships for weeks, with the founding membership drive ending on Thursday.