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COLERIDGE - The Coleridge grocery store is scheduled to shut down permanently in August.
That was a tough choice Brenda Whalen and her husband, James Roberts, who own Ken’s Hometown Market, recently had to make.
They had been discussing the decision to permanently close the Coleridge grocery store for nearly a year.
“It was a very hard decision,” Whalen said. “I don’t want to see any town without a grocery store. We were trying to make it work.”
According to a July 1 post on the Ken’s Hometown Market Facebook page, Laurel's Hometown Market was approached two years ago by the investors group of Ken's Corner Market.
Whalen and Roberts, who have owned the Laurel grocery store since March 2021, closed on the purchase of the Coleridge store in August 2022.
At that time, Whalen and Roberts bought the Coleridge grocery store and its inventory from the investors group - whom the couple lease the building from - with hopes to be in a position to purchase the structure and continue to do business after two years.
“Unfortunately, utilities, payroll, the high cost of groceries, taxes and maintenance on the building and equipment have been too high to continue,” according to the Facebook post.
“Ken's will be a part of the ‘advertised specials’ through July 17. After that time, we will be discounting certain inventory items. Projected date of closing will be mid-August.”
Effective immediately, the Coleridge grocery story will be closed on Sundays.
The Coleridge Grocery LLC investors group is currently discussing the possibility of keeping the community’s store open. If people have input or ideas for this group’s board, they are asked to reach out to them.
If the Coleridge grocery store does not remain open, the Laurel market will deliver to the Coleridge area two-three times per week, depending upon the needs of the community.
“We do thank those of you (who) have truly supported the store,” according to the Facebook
post. Whalen added she and Roberts are grateful for their “dedicated” employees for making sure the Coleridge market “runs and works.’?
“The employees have done what they can to keep it open,” Whalen said. “We want to thank the loyal customers the Coleridge store has and has had through this process.”
