MOUNT VERNON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The parking lot of the Mt. Vernon IGA was packed Wednesday morning, after the store announced its closure on Facebook Tuesday.
"This is unreal, it really is," said Carlos McClure. "All these people shopped here for years. Now it's over with."
"I didn't know what to think 'cause they've been here forever," said Shelley Alcorn.
The store was offering 50% off all groceries, but finding a deal doesn't change reality for some consumers in Rockcastle County.
Losing the IGA leaves shoppers with one less option. There is the Save-A-Lot, but the closest Kroger is 20 miles away in London, and the closest Walmart is 15 miles north in Berea.
"It's gonna be sort of sad, been here all these years," said McClure. "We really only have two grocery stores. It's just convenient here for everyone in town. It's gonna be a sad situation."
"It will hurt a lot of people, a lot of older people," said Alcorn. "Because they'll have to go to Berea or Somerset."
The U.S. Department of Agriculture tracks the decline of rural grocery stores. In 2015, research showed 44 counties across the country had no grocery at all. All but four were rural.
So as shoppers in Mt. Vernon fill their carts one last time at the IGA, they're also left to wonder what happens next here. Some hope another supermarket is on the way.
"I hope they get a Walmart," said Alcorn. "A small Walmart would be nice."
