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
