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Warsaw's grocery store in danger of closing
Posted: 12.21.2010 at 4:52 PM
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Pa's Market has been losing business to bigger, chain stores

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WARSAW, ILL. -- The only grocery store in Warsaw may have to close its doors for good.

Owner of Pa's Market Perry Cameron says many people are now choosing to drive across the river to Keokuk and do their shopping at bigger, chain stores.

KHQA's Jarod Wells found out that it'll take a community effort to keep the store open.

The building that currently houses Pa's Market was built in 1965. Perry Cameron's family bought it in 1987 and five years later Perry took over the reigns of Pa's Market. Business started dropping off after the flood of 1993, then again after the 2008 floods.

Perry Cameron said, "Right now we're in a situation where if business doesn't pick up, we'll be forced to close the doors."

Cameron says he's been borrowing money just to keep the doors open in hopes that business would pick up, but it has not.

Cameron said, "What's happening is the small town stores can't compete with the big retail giants of the world and we never will be able to in pricing, but we offer other services and other features that they can't offer."

Cameron has brought in several teams to reorganize the store and reset the inventory. He is bringing in more and different lines of products to make Pa's Market more competitive.

Cameron said, "We know we can't compete in pricing for the person that's buying $200 (of groceries) a week, but what were asking for is that they do some business with us, that they do $8-$10 a week and that will be enough to make a difference, to keep the doors open."

Cameron says he wants to make sure the community knows what it will lose if Pa's Market is forced to close its doors.

Cameron said, "You lose the convenience number one. The town also loses their sales tax that's generated in here that goes back to your community, your property tax value. The value of your home is going to go down if you don't have a store, a grocery store in your community."

Cameron says Pa's Market offers a lot of discounts, donations and deliveries to area schools and groups.

If the doors close the community would lose all that as well.

Jarod asked Cameron how much longer he would be able to keep the doors open under the current circumstances, he simply answered that the business is at its limit.

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