Press-Republican

Local News

Related Photos

  • Alvin Reiner

    images_sizedimage_299225047

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
October 26, 2009

Willsboro market to close

'Lack of community support' forces decision; open through week

By ALVIN REINER

WILLSBORO — Keeping businesses viable in small towns has become increasingly difficult, as evidenced in the planned closing of the Willsboro Country IGA.

There are no lines at the cash register and only one or two shoppers may be found wandering the aisles with hand baskets.

Over the years the market has changed hands and names: Grand Union, Tops, IGA, and currently Country IGA, though the establishment had switched from IGA products to Shur-fine this past spring in an effort to keep prices affordable.

The market has been run by Mark and Wanda McKenna the past four years after Tops pulled out, and the store remained empty. When the Grand Union Company reclaimed some of the previously run markets such as in Elizabethtown, Willsboro's storefront remained shuttered. Mark McKenna was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Co-manager Dorothy Norton said the facility would remain open until the end of the week. She attributes the closing to "a lack of community support," the fact that two-thirds of its business comes during the tourist season, and the sagging economy.

"At least when you spend money in your community, you are keeping it here," said Norton. She was concerned about the senior citizens, as some who live nearby walk to the market, and the WIC customers who will be left without a nearby store that is certified to accept the vouchers. "Some have been coming here for a long time." Norton has been contemplating starting a shopping service once the market closes.

Norton pointed out that the store made a concerted effort to sell locally produced products such as eggs, vegetables, and maple syrup. Recently they added Adirondack fresh roasted coffee and other products from Peru.

The employees were notified of the impending closure Oct. 20 and were informed that they had about two weeks left.

Currently, the market employs 12 people, two or three of whom may be transferred to the McKennas' Country Store on the west end of town. That store has gas pumps, which helps to attract customers.

Nancy Ahrent has been shopping at the market since moving to Willsboro as a youngster some 20 years ago.

"It's sad it's going to close. It's going to be hard for a lot of people who don't have vehicles. Hopefully, someone else will be able to open it. Seeing the shelves nearly empty —…it's sad," Ahrent said.

Willsboro Town Supervisor Lori Lincoln Spooner gives the Mckennas a lot of credit for trying to keep the market open.

"It's the town affecting the store. There's not enough business to keep all three markets open. Mark and Wanda tried everything. They added a bakery, a deli, and brought in new products. Our town is not a town anymore," Spooner pointed out.

Spooner indicated that many of the services, such as the post office, bank and school that once were located near the market have moved to the periphery of the village.

"We're trying to be pro-active," Spooner said. She, along with others, are contemplating what might become of the property, which is currently owned by an absentee landlord. Possibilities have included an art museum and gallery, a public assembly hall, and offices for community programs and agencies.

E-mail Alvin Reiner at: rondackrambler@yahoo.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Local News

Recent Article Comments
Albany Round-up

Photo of the Day
Strange News
Videos: Editor Picks
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48 Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party 79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service