“We’re going to miss [our customers] too. We wish this wasn’t happening ... and I’m sad for our community because they’re not going to have anywhere to shop,” Reeder said. “It’s very hard. It’s very heartbreaking.”
Reeder, who has worked at the store 14 years, said employees were told the store would close a week ago, shortly after it was purchased by a new company, SpartanNash.
“We are grateful to our store guests for their loyal support, as well as our dedicated associates for their commitment to our shoppers,” SpartanNash District Manager Jenny Pyle said in a statement.
SpartanNash did not return an inquiry about future plans for the store.
All 19 employees were offered jobs at other Community Markets either in Germantown of Bellefontaine, but Reeder said most currently do not plan to take those, as the commute to and from work would be much further.
But the people who will be most impacted are regular customers, particularly those who are older, Reeder said. Many people walk to the store due to its convenient location, and once it closes, the closest grocery, IGA in New Carlisle, is just over four miles away.
More than 220 people have signed an online petition to keep the market open.
“The Park Layne Community Market is more than just a place to buy groceries,” the petition reads. “For over 60 years, it has been a cornerstone of our community, offering convenience, reliability, and a touch of nostalgia to so many residents.”
Kristi Horn, who started the petition, wrote that the store’s closure “would place an undue burden on families who depend on it, both for employment and for daily necessities.”
Dennis Masters, who has shopped at the store since 1977, when it was called Fulmer’s, told this newspaper he’s disappointed, liking the store and its coupon offerings.
The store has seen a decline in sales since COVID-19, Reeder said, and prices have steadily increased. She said she and several other employees don’t buy grocery there unless they need something quick due to the prices.
“We love working here because we love our customers, and we’re all like family,” Reeder said.
Helen Brown, a cashier for 16 years, said she’s lived in Park Layne her entire life and she feels for the customers.
“The older customers, this is really the only place they come to, and they always come; every Tuesday we are busy because of that,” Brown said. “It’s going to be missed.”
The store recently changed its hours to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
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