FORT VALLEY, Ga. — After the Harvey's grocery store closed in the summer of 2018, people in Fort Valley have been wondering when a new grocery store will open in its place.
Owners Dave Rowell and Jay Patel say a new one is on its way.
"This building became available and Jay and I discussed it, we decided this would be a great opportunity to help Fort Valley with another grocery store, be competitive with pricing, and offer a wide variety of groceries," says Rowell.
The name of the store will be Valley Fresh Market, and it's located right downtown where the Harvey's used to be.
"We'll offer a full line of produce, full line of meat, full deli, full dairy, frozen foods," says Rowell, "We'll offer two choices of meat a day, three vegetables, a roll or a biscuit, sweet tea, or unsweetened tea."
The idea is for this one to be locally-owned, which Mayor Barbara Williams says is a good thing, especially with the big chains like Piggly Wiggly and Harvey's leaving the city.
"Having one grocery store is like having one gas station, one traffic light in a small city. For one thing, it just made it seem like our small city, all of a sudden, got smaller," says Williams.
With new floors, new freezers, and a new name, Patel and Rowell say they're hopeful they'll stay on Vineville Street for years to come.
The owners say they hope to have doors open by the end of the year.
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