LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – It’s been a long road to recovery for many people and businesses in Little Rock following a devastating tornado earlier this year, but after seven months, the Kroger store in the Colony West shopping center is back in business.

The store was badly damaged after an EF-3 twister ripped through west Little Rock on March 31. The tornado caused several employees and staff to be displaced, prompting Kroger to invest more than $4 million into re-opening the store.

Kroger officials said the community and their employees were worth it, as they are the heart and soul of the operation.

Just three weeks after the tornado, the store reopened its pharmacy, providing customers with prescriptions through drive-thru only as construction began to rebuild the location.

Doors officially opened at 8 a.m. Wednesday and will resume normal store hours of 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.