The large panes of glass may be papered over for a few more days, but the Raymond Shopping Center building that was formerly home to Raymond Foodmarket is about to reopen as a Family Dollar store.
According to Mark Accousti, who manages the strip mall for his father Tony, the discount store chain is “taking over the store on August 5 and opening on the 18.”
Signs in the former Foodmarket building’s window announce the upcoming opening of Family Dollar and advertise for job openings.
As indicated on these signs, the store will be conducting in-person interviews at that location for cashiers, management, stock help, and set-up assistance between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on August 5.
The Raymond Foodmarket, which had been owned by Charles Turner, closed its doors suddenly last November, surprising many in the community who enjoyed its convenience. The building had been home to several independent grocery stores dating back to Columbia Market in the mid-1960s.
Since the market closed, other storeowners in the plaza have experienced a significant drop in revenue. At least one of these businesses, Planet Sun Tanning Spa, moved to the strip in part because of the traffic generated by the grocery store.
Storeowners’ reaction to the news of a Family Dollar store in the old Foodmarket was pretty much the same across the board.
“The first thought is that we’d rather have a grocery store,” said Cora Sullivan, manager of the Salvation Army Thrift Store. “I thought for sure it would be another grocery store.”
Sullivan said that business in her store, although still off a bit, is better and attributes the increase to the summer people who stop by.
DNJ Pizza owner Don Warren said, “I’m hoping for the best. We lost a lot of business when the Raymond Foodmarket went out of business. When I come down here, at 7 or 7:30 a.m., everybody along the way is busy, but this strip is dead.”
Not long ago, Warren started a pizza delivery service on the weekends in an attempt to increase his business. While people used to stop into the plaza for groceries, a movie, and a pizza, without the grocery store, it no longer offers them the same level of convenience.
Warren thought the new store might be good on rainy days but still mourned the departure of the Foodmarket.
“That was the Sears in the mall,” he said. “The draw.”
Raymon resident Joe Bruno, CEO of Community Pharmacy, said, “I don’t think it does much for attracting customers coming into that center. As wonderful as The Good Life Market is (at the corner of routes 302 and 85), it’s a specialized grocery store. A grocery store in the Raymond Foodmarket space would be better for the plaza and better for all the other stores.”
But Bruno concluded by saying, “It’s better than nothing in the space.”
Although a spokesperson for the company could not be reached for comment, according to Family Dollar’s Web site, they have been in business for 45 years and currently operate 5,700 stores in 44 states. The chain’s “success always has been based on helping value-conscious families meet their basic shopping needs.”
A Fortune 500 Company, Family Dollar targets low to middle income neighborhoods in areas of at least 8,000 people over no greater distance than a ten-mile radius.
Plaza manager Mark Accousti compared the store to a Wal-Mart and said, “I think they’re going to do well here. They have a little bit of everything.”
Signs in the Raymond Foodmarket storefront advertise that the new tenant, Family Dollar, is hiring. The grocery store closed last November.Send questions/comments to the editors.
