GRAPEVINE, Texas — A Sam's Club store in Grapevine is closing permanently after it was badly damaged in a tornado last year, company officials said.
The Sam's Club store was located off Ira E. Woods Avenue and Texas 114. It was among several businesses that received damage when two EF-1 tornadoes hit Grapevine in December.
Five people were injured in the storms, and several businesses, including the Grapevine Mills Mall, Walmart and Discount Tire were damaged.
The Sam's Club has been closed since the storms, and the company confirmed on Wednesday that it will not re-open.
“After careful consideration and a thorough damage assessment, we have made the difficult business decision to close our Grapevine, Texas location that incurred extensive damage during the storm last December," Sam's Club officials said. "This decision aligns with the long-term growth strategy for our company.”
When the storm hit the storm, air conditioning units were ripped off the roof and part of the roof was peeled away, all while employees were inside.
“When air conditioning units are flying through the air and not one of them landed on a car, a roof, or let alone a person -- it’s just amazing,” said Chuck Paschke, who owns a nearby business and witnessed the storm.