Soldotna Wells Fargo celebrates makeover
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Wells Fargo Soldotna Branch Manager Kathy Gensel welcomes everyone to their newly remodeled bank.
The first opening of the Wells Fargo Soldotna Branch was back in 1977 when it was a new National Bank of Alaska branch. It had moved from its original location at the Soldotna Sky Bowl where it had served the community since 1959. A photo of that bank now hangs at the newly renovated Wells Fargo branch along with other enlarged snapshots from the area’s past, including a photo of one of the most popular businesswomen in the community and the first member of the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce , Vera Horwarth of Vera’s Variety. “She was our neighbor right here next door for more than 25 years and had a very special place in our hearts. [We] wanted to be sure we had a picture of her up in the lobby along with other photos of this local area of town. The Soldotna Historical Society helped me get some information and beneath each picture we will have a plaque that describes the place or person,” said branch manager Kathy Gensel.
D and Sue Garrett make free Kettle Corn for Wells Fargo customers in Soldotna.
Last week Kathy and the Wells Fargo staff welcomed the community to a grand re-opening and were excited to show everyone the results of the makeover. “I’ve been coming here since 1977 and never knew the place was so large. They really opened the place up,” commented a visitor. “We actually only removed one interior wall and reconfigured the space. That really opened up the interior for a much more spacious appearance and made a big difference. Now we look much more like a Wells Fargo bank,” said Gensel. Visitors to the grand re-opening were also treated to a free bag of freshly popped gourmet Kettle Corn by D and Sue Garrett and their mobile kettle.
Wells Fargo and their staff have earned a well-deserved reputation for volunteer community service. “That’s really what we are all about. We are part of the community and we appreciate what the community does for us, so we like to give some of that back through volunteering,” added Gensel. To enhance their customer service, Gensel says they are extending their Saturday hours. “It’s changed a lot since I came here 25 years ago and we closed at three o’clock because we did everything manually. Now the Soldotna store will actually be open until 5:00 p.m. every Saturday. Every day, Monday through Saturday, we’ll be open at 10:00am in the lobby and 9:00am at the drive-up. Fridays we’re open until 6:00 p.m. at the drive up and Saturday 10:00am to 5:00pm,” said Gensel.