NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nashville is certainly used to change and losing familiar sights. This time, neighbors said a loss will leave them without a nearby place to get groceries.
There's been a grocery store on West End near Centennial Park as far back as many people remember.
"Probably about 30 years," smiled resident Lisa Washington.
"I've been coming around this neighborhood since the mid-70s," said neighbor Mike Grimes.
The building went up in 1954 to be exact. It's carried a few names over the years, the most recent is Piggly Wiggly.
"It's like a big ole family around here," said Washington.
"It's right close to us!" said resident Wilfred Taylor
That's something that matters to neighbors like Grimes, who live so close.
"Yeah, up here at the Parthenon Towers, MDHA property," Grimes said. "A lot of the people who live in the building are in the same shape I am, living on social security and all that. We're all low-income guys and girls and a lot of people are in wheelchairs, so they come down here quite a bit."
Grimes has heard Piggly Wiggly is only open for a few more days, just through the end of the lease on April 20.
"It's pretty sad," said Grimes.
"Yes, I'm sorry about this place closing," added Taylor.
"I said, 'oh my Lord, that's not good,'" said Washington. "It's going to have an impact on the elderly people."
Where will those neighbors shop? A GPS search finds the closest grocery stores more than a mile or two miles away.
"That's a little far for most of us to go," said Grimes. "It's really the only grocery store around here in walking distance."
H-G Hill Realty Company owns the property and has it slated for redevelopment, citing structural issues for the 1954 building that can't be fixed.
"H.G. Hill Realty Company and the tenant agree that shoring up the building and fencing it is the safest option," Gray Public Relations told NewsChannel 5 in a statement. "There are no finalized redevelopment plans in place at this time."
"I'll miss the place," said Grimes. "I like coming down here. Change is always something that happens."
