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A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 9 to mark the official new location grand opening of Banner’s Hallmark in the Harbour View East Shopping Center, located at 6253 College Dr., Suite 100.

Vice Mayor Leroy Bennett will be on-hand for the event.

The event is open to the public and Banner’s Hallmark is offering giveaways, gifts with purchase, sales on select merchandise, and will have a food truck vendor for customers.

The new, full-format store features an extensive selection of card and gift items in a modern, inviting and easy-to-shop environment, according to a City of Suffolk news release. Banner’s Hallmark, a family-owned and operated card and gift company, operates 58 Hallmark stores throughout Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina.

Officials said in the release that the previous Suffolk store was 3,600 square feet. The new store, located in the same shopping center, offers a much larger 6,000-square-foot space. This expansion will increase their staff from 12 to 17 staff members.

Banner’s Hallmark dates back to the 1970s, from its early beginning as a card, gift and stationery store. Officials said it has grown into a well-respecteded Hallmark Gold Crown chain.

Banner’s President and Chief Executive Officer Leonard Banner has been involved in this business for more than 28 years. He has served in the past as a member of the Hallmark Gold Crown Advisory Board. Their Hallmark stores have been honored with numerous awards that include the Hallmark Gold Crown Retail Excellence Award.

Banner’s Gold Crown Hallmark Stores are renowned for being some of the finest stores in the country, according to the release.

For more information on Banner’s Hallmark, visit the company’s website at https://www.bannershallmark.com/.