WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) — The latest edition of IN Wheeling Magazine focuses on locally-owned grocery stores.
Magazine owner David Allinder says they have survived and thrived despite the proliferation of big box stores and national chains.
He focused on four local stores: Miklas’s Meat Market, Neely’s Grocery, Riesbeck’s Markets, and Jebbia’s Produce.
The magazine looks not only at the owners and employees but the customers as well–customers who appreciate the warm atmosphere and personal connection that you don’t often get at bigger grocery retailers.
They say when you walk into one of those stores, you feel like you want to be there. You walk into a national chain, it’s not always quite so happy and welcoming. But there, they know your name. They know what you bought the last time you were there. They know if you had a bad day the last time you were there. There’s going to be people hanging out, having coffee.
David Allinder – Owner, IN Wheeling Magazine
The issue also focuses on the history of grocery stores in Wheeling.
Allinder says many of them may be gone, but they paved the way for those who are prospering today.
He says in a locally-owned grocery store, the smiles are authentic, and the conversation is genuine, not scripted.