Long before the giant scissors made short work of an equally oversized ribbon, people were shopping at the reopened Clintonville Kroger store at North High and West North Broadway.

Some faces bore the grim, duty-driven expression of people on a mission. Others shoppers wandered through the renovated grocery with the wide eyes of children permitted an unsupervised trip to a candy store.

Veteran Kroger employees, who had been scattered to other locations during the three-month closure, greeted old friends and caught up on the time they’d lost.

Kroger executives — and they practically outnumbered those assembled for the “grand reopening” ceremony — thanked the employees for coping with the situation, and the customers, as well.

“We know that it has been a little bit of an inconvenience for our shoppers because we had to close for a few months,” Jackie Siekmann, media and government relations manager for Kroger’s Columbus division, told those assembled for the ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

The “new” store, which at 39,405 square feet is 1,642 square feet larger as a result of the renovation, is managed by 18-year Kroger veteran Sara Littleton. The Mansfield native has been in the Columbus area for the past decade and has managed several other stores.

“It’s very exciting,” she said of the opportunity to be in charge of the remodeled Clintonville location. “We know how involved the community is, and we’re excited to be a part of that.”

“We are excited about having a brand new store in Clintonville,” Kroger vice president of merchandising Mel Bomprezzi said during the ceremony. “I can tell you when you walk into the store, you’re going to see a totally different shopping experience.”

He noted that it was rare for the company to close a store for remodeling.

“We had a lot of input from the community,” Bomprezzi said.

Most members of the Clintonville Area Commission were on hand for the event, as were a number of elected and appointed city officials, representatives of both the Clintonville and Columbus chambers of commerce and state Sen. Jim Hughes, who presented Littleton with a proclamation thanking the company for keeping the store and the jobs it creates in the community.

“We are all just as proud of this store as you all are off your community,” Littleton told the crowd. “I think you’re all going to really enjoy the store.”

A fresh lobster tank, sushi, beverage center and gourmet cheese and olive island have been added to the renovated grocery.

The pharmacy was also expanded as part of the project, and will be open seven days a week.

The store is at 3417 N. High St. Hours are 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily. The pharmacy is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.