They dig the Pig, in Mobile.

That much was made abundantly clear on Thursday, as the grand opening of the city’s newest grocery store, a massive Piggly Wiggly at the intersection of University and Airport boulevards, turned into a gala occasion. It was purely a ceremonial opening, as customers have had several weeks to explore the store since a soft opening in mid-December, so you’d think some of the novelty would have worn off.

But no: Thursday’s ribbon-cutting was attended by a host of elected official and candidates, Chamber of Commerce folk and enough customers to fill the substantial parking lot. Azalea Trail Maids roamed the aisles, partaking of the free food samples being served up by vendors. A portion of the University of South Alabama Marching Band provided music, and USA Provost Andi Kent got a tour of the store’s café area, the University Room, from co-owner Kamal Constantine.

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson said he was thrilled to have the store occupying a highly visible but long-vacant property at one of Mobile’s most heavily traveled intersections. He joked that the city also appreciated the tax revenue it would generate. County Commissioner Connie Hudson said that on a personal level, she loved the extra-wide aisles. “It seems like a small thing but it’s really a big thing,” she said.

Constantine said he and partner David White own 15 Piggly Wiggly stores, with locations as far away as Mount Vernon and Foley. Many are in underserved areas; the new one at 306 S. University Blvd. isn’t the first big showplace to bear the brand’s name – Fairhope has one comparable in size and style – but Constantine said this one is a declaration.

“We have 10 stores in Mobile, in the inner city, on the outskirts of the city,” he said. “This is in the heart of the city. I wanted to make a statement that we’re going to be as local, as good as any other grocery store. What separates us from other grocery stores is, we’re local. We are here. Our banking, our homes, we live here, our kids go to school here. That’s all important to me.”

Mobile does have another locally based chain, Greer’s, but the market is full of regional and national players as well, including Publix, Aldi, Winn-Dixie (now owned by Aldi), Walmart, Rouses and Fresh Market.

Constantine said that what really sets this store apart is the prominent floor space given to local partner businesses. One prime example is a large counter and table display featuring candy and cakes from Mobile-based Three Georges Fine Southern Chocolates. Three Georges owner Scott Gonzalez previously told AL.com that he expects this “store within a store” to sell more of the company’s products than its classic downtown soda fountain location.

Near the Three Georges display was a space occupied by Naman’s International Foods, with ready-to-eat and heat-and-eat options above and beyond those found in the nearby Piggly Wiggly deli area. Restaurateur and caterer Alec Naman, a figure so highly regarded in Mobile that he found himself getting a steady stream of requests for selfies with customers, said the in-store presence had gotten “amazing” response since the soft opening.

“The store is very unique,” he said. “We see people who come to us just to get dinner, at night-time, that don’t necessarily need to shop. But we also have those that are using their time in the store to get their groceries too.”

Farther back in the store, Bill E. Stitt was frying up samples of the gourmet small-batch bacon he cures at his Fairhope restaurant, Bill E.’s. He said he loved the treatment he was getting as a local producer. “They’ve got me here, and there, and over by the tenderloin,” he said, pointing at various display cases. “I couldn’t be happier.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” Stitt said of the restaurant. “It’s a family company that’s all Mobile, that is just doing everything they can to bring quality to the neighborhood. I think it’s going to be more than a grocery store. I think it’s going to be where the locals want to hang out.”

There are other partners, whose brands aren’t necessarily as well known as Three Georges and Naman.

“I wanted to encourage local businesses, entrepreneurs, to start businesses here, and to make sure that they succeed, and if they succeed, I succeed,” Constantine said. “You know, when you help people go up, you just go up with them.”

New customers also may notice some house brands, such as Flying Pig Coffee Co. and Pigfish Seafood.

“Our seafood has become very big” since the soft opening, Constantine said. “We have done five times what we projected to do. Because it’s all fresh, we make sure it’s all fresh.”

Another prominent feature of the store is faith. Biblical quotes adorn the walls here and there, including a quote of Matthew 22:37-39 above an employee service entrance. “To God Be The Glory” is lettered prominently over a wall of coolers.

Alan Floyd, lead pastor at Cottage Hill Baptist Church, touched on it during a blessing before the ribbon cutting. “We’re grateful and we’re excited about this new place of business,” he said. “May it be a place that feeds this community, giving physical nourishment as well as spiritual nourishment.”

Constantine made a point of singling out several employees for their work to get the store open. “We get the credit, but we have a huge team who support us,” he said.