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Rock Port Market closes its doors
After 77 years serving Rock Port, Mo., residents, the corner grocer is in liquidation mode.
The Rock Port Market, tucked neatly in a row of old buildings on Main Street, is shutting its doors, possibly this weekend, as the third generation of grocers looks into what appears to be a bleak future.
"Bittersweet" is the word owner Matthew Leisman uses to describe the situation. Bitter, because the family (father Robert and brothers Miles and Mike) feel they got an unfair shake when investors in a competing store got TIF approval worth $175,000.
Rock Port, a community of 1,200, can't support two stores, Mr. Leisman said.
"The playing field became very unlevel," he said of the TIF advantage to the new store, which is being built at the intersection of U.S. Highway 136 and Missouri Highway 111.
Mr. Leisman's grandfather, Ray Leisman, secured a $500 loan and opened his first store in 1932, north of Rock Port in Watson, Mo. He moved the family in 1950 to Rock Port when he bought the market there on Main Street. Robert bought the store from his father in 1971, and the four brothers all had jobs there.
Matthew started working at the market in his fifth-grade year, the day before Thanksgiving. He carried out groceries for customers and mopped the floors on Wednesday nights. Two of his brothers worked in the meat department with Marvin Harmon, who was employed there for nearly 50 years. Carol Underwood and Marjorie Alloway were also longtime employees, putting in nearly 80 years between them.
"We've always said one of the biggest assets to the organization was the employees who worked there," Mr. Leisman said.
But the busy days that required three cashiers, and the brothers carrying out groceries as fast as they could, are long gone. Mr. Leisman said changes came with evolution of big-box stores and a local beef plant closing in the early 1980s.
With word getting around that the store is closing, Mr. Leisman said he's getting sentimental messages from customers, one who said, "The store on a corner in a small town - the end of an era."
"We're very, very thankful and blessed to have had this business for 77 years," he said.
Jimmy Myers can be reached
at jimmym@npgco.com.
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donaldo says...
Where have all the mom and pop stores gone? it is a shame that we dont have the old stores like the one on sixth and hickory. and aunta-lauras on 22nd across from edison school. we as a sociaty need to retain these kind of stores to have closeness as a people in this town. if we dont support these establishment thats is all we will have is a fond memory instead of a place where freinds congregate and do bussiness. remember rich's store on mitchell? Thats what im talking about. it was the mom and pop places that people talked about what was going on with this guy and what will we be doing over the weekend. it is a shame that we dont have enough of the small bussiness that used to matter. i miss the chicklet's for a penny. those were the day's.
December 2, 2009 at 9:05 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )