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GEORGETOWN — It’s the little grocery store that could.
That’s the impetus behind the effort to get the community to step up to save its Save A Lot grocery store at 204 Huffman St., about a block off Illinois 1.
Darren Alexander, known in the area for his concession business, food trucks and catering business, and his wife put in an offer to buy the grocery store that was going bankrupt.
One of the owners passed away and the other couldn’t keep it going.
“It was four hours from closing, and odds are it was probably going to close for good,” Alexander said.
When a store is shut down for a period of time and equipment isn’t running properly, it can be expensive to replace items and get it reopened, he said.
So Alexander and his fellow investors, Sean Lagacy and his daughter, Makaelyn, decided to step up.
“We didn’t want to see the store close,” Alexander said.
He said Georgetown residents don’t want to travel far for a loaf of bread — and not everyone has the ability to do so.
Georgetown needs its grocery store, and “the three of us came up with this crazy, crazy plan,” Alexander said about keeping the store locally owned.
Under an agreement, they gained control of the store starting in September, and the city of Georgetown helped with a business grant.
“I’m glad the store stayed. I didn’t want it to fail,” said Mayor Darin Readnour.
Alexander said they won’t take full ownership of the business until all past debt, which is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, is paid off.
He said they are new to the grocery industry and have put in a lot of hours and their own investments, because of a desire to help the community.
Alexander said they’re not taking a paycheck.
“It’s all about keeping the store open for the community,” he said.
Many residents also need a discount grocery store, he added, due to their limited finances.
He said the store is completely stocked up and they just opened a new deli, which serves fried chicken and other meals and has a drive-thru window.
“It’s been nothing but a success and keeps growing and growing,” he said. “We must be doing something right.”
He said the store has also had a visit from Save A Lot’s East Coast-based president and CEO, which speaks volumes.
Alexander said he and his fellow investors just hope the community continues to support it.
They’re also proud to keep its employees, including Missy Rollins, who has worked there for 20 years.
Rollins said she’s seen the store change quite a few times with different owners. It’s been a Save A Lot since 2017.
Rollins said it’s great that the community still has the store and has people who step up.
Alexander is a 53-year resident of Georgetown.
“The Lord’s blessed me and all of us and the community,” he said.
He said he and his fellow investors were in a fortunate position to be able to do this, and reiterated that the main goal was keeping the store in the community.
The new deli section sells Champs chicken and some of the Alexanders’ other catering specials, such as Italian beef.
They have an app too.
“It’s a little bit of everything for everybody,” Alexander said.
