The launch of the long-awaited Walmart Supercenter in North Tonawanda is official as residents flooded in to get their first   glimpses of the mega store beginning early Wednesday morning following a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The opening comes after years of debate, political wrangling and a slew lawsuits to block Walmart from ever coming to the   city.

Even as an appeal in federal court, the last in a series of five, was winding down in the summer of 2011, construction was   underway.

But now, those claims are water under the bridge, as the 30-aisle store viewed by many as a having the potential to turn another   section of the city into a commercial centerpiece opened its doors to the public.

Proponents of Walmart cite its geographic position between Buffalo and Niagara Falls as reason to expect success for the nation’s   largest retailer.

They also laud it as a job-creation machine, though the roughly 300 now working there represent less than the 400 positions   predicted by a Walmart representative last year as work on the project began.

There have been bumps in the road to be sure, with a delay hampering the project months past its anticipated opening in April,   and complaints from nearby residents, who yearned for a return to a once-vacant corn field that served as an extension of   their back yards.

But the message from city officials has been and still is that the building, its sweeping parking lot and its cheap wares,   will beckon the masses to a region of the city once home to the renowned Melody Fair property.

The potential for the store was evident by late afternoon Wednesday, when hundreds of vehicles filled Walmart’s parking lot,   with dozens of shoppers heading in and out of the building at any given time.

Margery Meslyer and her daughter Laurie Conlan, both lifetime residents of North Tonawanda, said the Supercenter is a welcome   addition.

Meslyer said she couldn’t wait for it to open, adding that she thought it was much nicer and larger than the Niagara Falls   location.

“I’m thrilled to death,” she said, as she and Conlan stacked bags of just-purchased food, a laptop desk and a comforter. Both,   however, said they would continue to shop at Budwey’s market down the street because of its convenience and quality.

Jack Weiss and his wife Vicki who just returned to their North Tonawanda home from a road trip on the west coast, said they   appreciate the idea that they no longer have to drive to Amherst to get cheap items from Walmart. On Wednesday, after they   left the store, they carried dozens of new clothes for their grandson’s upcoming school year.

“It’s nice because we’re so close,” he said. “And in the Falls it seems like you can’t find anything you need. We didn’t have   that problem today.”

Store manager Chris Lazarou said there was a steady stream of shoppers throughout the day,

who came to see what the newest Western New York Walmart had on hand. Besides its usual items, the store also offers a hair   and nail salon, deli, Subway restaurant, and 30 merchandise departments all told.

Carol Keitel, of Buffalo, who often visits her granddaughter in the Town of Wheatfield said she was impressed, as she sat   outside the new structure on a bench in the shade with bags full of clothing.

“It’s really nice,” she said. “There wasn’t the long lines I thought there would be. I’ll definitely be coming back.”