Clarksville got its first Sprouts Farmers Market this weekend, and at least one shopper wasn't taking any chances on missing the moment. Luella Crews joined the line outside the new store at 1002 Winn Way at 3:38 a.m. Friday, hours before sunrise, determined to be the first customer through the doors.
The store, tucked into the Sango area near Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway and Fire Station Road, held a 6:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday before opening to the public at 7 a.m., according to Main Street Media of Tennessee. Shoppers braved chilly weather and darkness as they waited for the doors to open, the outlet reported, with Crews ultimately earning the honor of being the very first person inside.
The opening capped months of anticipation in the fast-growing Sango community. Sprouts had submitted site plans for a 23,299-square-foot store near Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, and the company planned to hire about 85 full- and part-time employees to staff it, per the same outlet's earlier report. Plans also described additional retail space alongside the grocery store, though reports have varied on the exact size — Main Street Media of Tennessee cited roughly 13,600 square feet of extra retail, while a project listing from LDI put the shell retail space at 13,664 square feet.
Freebies and a Weekend-Long Celebration
The grand opening stretched into a three-day celebration running Friday through Sunday, with freebies, giveaways and exclusive savings advertised on the Sprouts Farmers Market website for the new location. The first 200 shoppers through the door received a free reusable tote, and the first 400 customers walked away with a free long-stem rose courtesy of Falcon Farms Floral, the retailer's site notes — a detail the local outlet confirmed by reporting that Falcon Farms Floral handed out flowers to several hundred customers.
Outside, the store hosted a pop-up party with samples and a scavenger hunt, and Sprouts offered special discounts throughout the opening weekend, including a Rewards member promotion of up to $20 off through Sunday. Sprouts is known for its wide selection of fresh and organic produce, high-quality meat and seafood, and a store full of natural, organic and better-for-you products, according to Main Street Media of Tennessee's earlier coverage of the opening.
Part of a Bigger Tennessee and National Push
Clarksville's new store adds to a growing Sprouts footprint across the state. The company already counted 10 stores in Tennessee, including a recently opened Knoxville market and a planned October opening in Mt. Juliet, per Main Street Media of Tennessee's reporting on the Clarksville project.
Nationally, Sprouts has been on an aggressive expansion tear. The company told USA TODAY it was on track to open 42 new stores in 2026, with 24 of those openings coming before year's end, following 37 new locations in 2025. According to Progressive Grocer, the chain's pipeline includes more than 140 approved locations, with more than 40 new stores planned for 2026 alone, and Sprouts entered an entirely new state this year with its first New York location.
Sprouts reported that 75% of its stores now receive fresh meat from its own distribution centers, Progressive Grocer noted, part of a broader self-distribution push as the company scouts new sites in the Midwest and Northeast for growth beyond 2026. Company figures on its overall size have varied slightly between reports: a September 2025 announcement from the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council put Sprouts at 443 stores across 24 states with about 31,000 team members, while Progressive Grocer's more recent reporting lists more than 480 stores in 25 states and approximately 36,000 associates.
For now, the focus in Sango is squarely local — a new grocery option for shoppers who, like Crews, were willing to show up in the dark to be first in the door. The Clarksville store's daily hours are set at 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. going forward, per Main Street Media of Tennessee.
