A grocery store in a small town in Letcher County that’s been closed since last July’s floods is open again. While the Isom IGA was closed, some people who lived nearby had a 90-minute round-trip to the nearest grocery store. Store manager Simon Christon said even Saturday’s soft opening was anything but soft.
“I didn't think we would have the turnout that we did. But praise the Lord, we opened those doors at seven o'clock. We already had people here in the parking lot at 6:05 waiting to get in line for our bakery daily. So it was unbelievable.”
Four days later, the IGA held an official reopening, with free pizza donated by Hunt Brother’s Pizza. Once again, they were packed.
“Nine months ago, if you told us at this moment, we would be here and having the success that we're having, we would have said there's no way possible.
Christon said they’re still waiting on their Small Business Administration loan to come through, but their main wholesaler and other vendors have been generous, and, like the people of Isom, patient.
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