What Happens When the Only Grocery in Town Closes

It has been a year since Kroger closed the JayC grocery in Shoals, Indiana, part of a chain-wide closure of 60 stores the company attributed to a desire for efficiency. Residents of the town of 670 now drive 16 to 25 miles to Loogootee, Washington, or Bedford for groceries, or rely on the Dollar General on the edge of town.

The Dollar General stocks limited produce, frozen meals, and dairy, at prices some residents call steep, while local leaders including restaurant owner Todd Baker explore whether a community-funded, locally supplied store could fill the gap.

A parking-lot farmers' market ran for twelve weeks last summer but has not returned this year, and a July meeting was scheduled to discuss options for a permanent local store.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.