SOUTH MILLS, N.C. — Gone are the days when a small grocery store is able to survive on selling just a loaf of bread and a drink to customers looking for convenience. South Mills Supermarket, one of only a few remaining independent grocery stores in the area, is a sad testament to those changing times, its general manager said.
The grocery store will be closing at the end of this month, much to the disappointment of customers who loved the convenience, the friendliness, and the “best meats anywhere.”
“We have done well. We have outlasted most of the independents. Most of them are gone,” said General Manager Mike Mizelle, who was a young man in his 20s when he began managing the store. Today, he is 57 and struggling with the reality of having to start over again.
A combination of factors has led to the grocery store’s closure, he said. Today, the high cost of operating demands a higher volume of sales, making it difficult for small independent stores to survive. Mizelle said the store has maintained about the same number of customers, but expenses have skyrocketed.
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Photo by Thomas J. Turney, The Daily Advance