By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Alabaster’s new Verizon Wireless store in the South Promenade shopping center – the first of its kind in the Birmingham metropolitan area – opened its doors to customers on Dec. 3, creating nearly 20 new jobs in the city.

The store, which took fewer than six months to build, celebrated its grand opening by showcasing its new “smart store” layout and by donating to a local nonprofit organization.

“We are really excited about the new store layout,” store manager Brandie Dunstan said before the ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We have the store broken up into different lifestyle zones, such as ‘Get fit,’ ‘Home on the go’ and even a table where we can teach people how to use their phones.”

Crews began constructing the new retail store, which is in front of the shopping center’s Target department store, in early June. Verizon Wireless Regional Director of Retail Sales Erik Lee said the store brought 18 new jobs to the city, and said the company is working to expand throughout the state.

“When I started working in the Georgia-Alabama region four years ago, Alabama was identified as one of our biggest priorities for growth,” Lee said. “Alabaster and Shelby County have seen incredible growth, and we are really excited to be a part of the Alabaster community here.

“We have 18 employees here, and the plan is to grow that in the future,” Lee added.

During the grand opening ceremony, Verizon presented a $1,500 donation to SafeHouse of Shelby County, which works to support local victims of domestic and sexual violence.

The new Verizon store was developed by the Highway 11/31 II LLC company, which also developed the nearby Dick’s Sporting Goods store and Panda Express restaurant.

The new Verizon Wireless store is covered under a sales tax incentive package approved by the city in 2013. The incentives apply to Highway 11/31 II LLC’s three South Promenade developments.

The incentive package is tied to the city’s sales tax, and uses a tiered system over a 10-year period valued at up to $1.9 million. The tax breaks began when Dick’s Sporting Goods opened in April , and do not apply to the city’s 1-cent sales tax earmarked for Alabaster schools.