Second Sarasota County Costco grand opening announced

Costco will open in North Port this June. The store’s grand opening June 5 in Wellen Park in south Sarasota will come weeks after the gas pumps became operational in early May at the site off US 41.

When it opens, the store will have a pharmacy, hearing aid center, optical shop, food court and tire center as well as the gas station.

The Wellen Park store will mark the second in Sarasota County for the retailer, which sells everything from groceries to TVs to jewelry refrigerators. The first Sarasota Costco opened by the Sarasota Square Mall in 2012. A Costco in Bradenton, just east of the Interstate 75 State Road 64 exit, opened in 2019.

With its opening in Wellen Park, Costco is expected to create hundreds of jobs, the Business Observer reported in November. About 250 jobs will result, according to the city of North Port Economic Development.

The store will be located at US 41 and Mezzo Drive in Wellen Park, a master-planned community in south Sarasota County that has 9,500-plus residents and will include 22,500 homes and more than 50,000 residents at full buildout.

Costco is a members-only warehouse store. It costs $60 a year to join or $120 for an executive membership that offers 2% in rewards and service discounts.

Before the store opens in North Port, Costco has set up a temporary location at 2100 South Tamiami Trail, Suite 100, in Venice, open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, where people can join. They can also sign up for memberships online.

With more than 800 locations globally, Costco is growing. The Wellen Park store is one of four Costco stores opening in June, according to the Costco website, which shows Mt. Juliet, Tennessee; Riverbank, California; and Richmond, Texas, also will be welcoming stores that month.

A ribbon-cutting at Costco will be held at 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 5, before the store’s official opening at 8 a.m. at 11700 Mezzo Drive.

Managing Editor Mark Gordon contributed to this report.