AUBURN – First impressions are important.

That’s why Al Bishop is making sure every appliance is polished, every bundle of lumber is straight and every employee trained when Lowe’s home improvement store throws open its doors Jan. 4.

“I can’t wait to show everybody,” said Bishop, the store manager for the first Lowe’s in Maine.

Bishop has opened three other Lowe’s stores, but never the first in a state. He’s excited about introducing the national retailer to Maine customers, many of whom have never seen a Lowe’s before.

“I tell them it’s like that other home improvement store, but bigger and brighter,” he said.

Bishop is referencing Home Depot, which has a store just a stone’s throw from Lowe’s Turner Street location. The comparison and competition is welcome, said Bishop.

“I respect them, but don’t fear them,” he said, adding that he and the manager of the Home Depot were good friends who often toured each other’s stores when he worked in Saratoga, N.Y.

Bishop is confident Lowe’s will be able to attract and accommodate both professional contractors and the individual do-it-yourselfer, a split he expects will be about 30/70 once the store is up and running. He said Auburn was a good choice for Lowe’s first Maine store because of its central location; a second store will open in Brunswick on Jan. 25.

Crews started to set up inventory inside the 130,000-square-foot building on Nov. 17. Wide aisles are lined by 12-foot-tall shelving units that display everything from hand saws to coffee makers. Bright ceiling lights are augmented by additional lights set into displays at eye level throughout the store. Bold white and blue banners hang from the ceiling indicating where goods can be found; each banner has a Spanish subtitle.

“Several local folks have told me they should be in French,” said Bishop, with a smile. “I’ll take it up with corporate.”

The store is laid out to appeal to the focused shopper and the browser. All of the electrical supplies, tools, plumbing and other typical hardware items are at the front of the store to accommodate the shopper who just needs to grab a sack of 16-penny nails and get back to the project at hand. The rear of the store is where Lowe’s expects customers to linger, comparing countertops, appliances, floor coverings and other design-oriented wares.

“We really focus on customer service,” said Bishop, a cabinetmaker who started in the kitchen department of the chain six years ago and worked his way up through the ranks.

“We have specialists in every department who have been in the business and know the products,” he said. “We have the background and can answer the questions.”

To that end, hourly employees are put through a three-week training program; managers go through a 12-week program. Bishop said he has been delighted by the quality of the 150 locals who have been hired at the new store.

“They’re a great staff, enthusiastic and willing to work,” said Bishop.

Lowe’s spent $18.5 million to open the new store; it will add at least $8.5 million in property assessments to the city’s tax base.

The store stocks about 40,000 items and carries an inventory worth about $4.5 million, said Bishop. The 59-year-old retailer has more than 1,000 stores in 46 states. In 2003, it reported sales of $30.8 billion.

There’s an additional 30,000 square feet for a garden center adjacent to the main store. And next to that, a little treat for local history buffs.

Bishop rescued the cupola from the old Whiteholm Farm homestead, on whose property the retail center sits. He restored it – including a new copper roof – and built a little park around it.

“I’d like to put up a informational memorial plaque,” said Bishop. “I appreciate that (this store) has a little history to it.”