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By NATHAN HOWELL | Staff Writer 

HELENA – AT&T held a ribbon cutting for its new Helena location on Saturday, May 15 as part of a series of new businesses coming to the area.

The store is located next to the new Chick-fil-A and is the first major cell phone retailer to open in the city.

The Shelby County Chamber, Helena City Councilmembers and residents all came out for the ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of a new business in the city.

Chamber President and CEO Kirk Mancer said that this new store signified that Helena was a welcoming environment for retail.

“Helena is definitely open for business,” Mancer said “Welcome to Helena and welcome to Shelby County.”

AT&T Live Mobile District Manager Bryan Hale said that he was excited about the benefit that the store could offer the city and that the city could offer the store.

“I started coming here in September of last year to look at the site. If you ever wanted the perfect store, perfect location, perfect business partners and the perfect intersection, this is it,” Hale said. “This is a dream come true for us. I cannot express how happy we are to be in Helena and to be in this location. Thank you all for letting us be a partner in your community. We will take care of everybody’s connectivity needs in the community.”

This sentiment was echoed by Dawson Davis, the store’s manager, who remarked how incredible and ideal the location was for them.

“I am super excited to be here,” Davis said. “I think this is one of the best locations ever. I am happy to be here. Everyone that has come in the store so far has been patient and excellent to work with. I am excited to be the connectivity expert in your area and take care of you.”

While Helena has continued to thrive with new business choosing to open their doors in the city over the past few years, the city has had a noticeable lack of mobile stores. This has led to residents visiting neighboring cities for mobile needs.

“On behalf of our city council and the mayor, we would like to welcome you to Helena and let you know that we are very excited to have you here in Helena,” City Councilmember Leigh Hulsey said. “We think that you’ll bring something to the area that we have not had before. I think our residents are really excited about it, and we are here to help if you need anything.”

Area Retail Sales Manager Desmond Carson said that he believed that this community was the ideal place for families and businesses, which made the opening even more exciting.

“It was really important to find a place that I could raise my family that is safe and has a welcoming environment,” Carson explained. “We pride ourselves in winning together as one. We want the city, council and chamber to be involved in that winning mentality. We want community cooperation. If you hear about us not putting our best foot forward feel free to reach out to us and let us know.”

The new AT&T store is located at 2488 Helena Rd. The store is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. and from 12-6p.m. on Sunday.