BY JENIFFER GRAHAM
For the Dominion Post
TERRA ALTA – The town of Terra Alta lost its only grocery store with the closing of Shop ‘n Save on Thursday. Store owner Craig Phillips said although no formal announcement was made to the public, employees were notified earlier this week about the closing. Phillips said the the decision to close the store was due to competition from box stores and the internet. He said over the past couple of years the competition “nibbled away” at the profit and led to the decision to close the store.
“This is the first time I have completely closed a store,” Phillips said. “There’s always the possibility someone else might want to put a store in that site. I own the building and would be happy to talk to someone about renting it or buying it if they were interested.”
Terra Alta Mayor Joshua Dodge said the closing of the store caught him by surprise. He said he didn’t know about it until he read it on Facebook.
He said the store closing is going to affect everyone in town. The town does have both a Family Dollar and Dollar General, but they don’t sell the large variety of meat, fresh fruit and vegetables that a grocery store offers.
“It’s going to make it difficult for the elderly and the people who don’t have their own transportation,” he said. “Going to the grocery store will mean either going to Kingwood or to Oakland (Md.).”
Roberta “Robbie” Baylor, Executive Director of the Preston County Economic Development Authority agreed.
She said the closure of the Shop ‘n Save is more than the loss of a single business — it is a significant economic and quality-of-life setback for the town and Preston County.
“As the community’s only grocery store, it provided local jobs, supported surrounding businesses, and served as essential infrastructure for residents, particularly seniors and families without reliable transportation,” said Baylor. “Its closure will increase travel costs for families and reduce local spending.”
She said the Preston County Economic Development Authority is committed to working with the Town of Terra Alta and property stakeholders to help identify a new business opportunity for this space and restore a vital service to the community.
Commissioner Don Smith said “it is a shame” that the store had to close its doors. He said those who will be hit the hardest by the closure will be the ones without their own transportation.
“Closing is a common practice if a business is losing money. You have to make a profit to keep the lights on. Hopefully someone will come in and do something to help.”
“We gave our employees the option to move to one of our stores in Kingwood, Oakland, or Davis,” Phillips said. “We had great employees, and I want to thank them, the town of Terra Alta and our customers. The store was a good one. It was there for 25 years.”
