Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Smith fighting to save local grocery store

Jason Smith is no stranger to the grocery business. He was also born and raised in Gurdon.

So when Gurdons largest grocery store was in danger of closing, Smith said he knew he wanted to buy the store.

(Former owner, Charles Sexton) was pretty much going to shut the store down, Smith said. He offered the store to me and I finally got it in May.

He said there have been a lot of headaches. The air conditioning units were in poor condition and were replaced last week, there have been a myriad of problems with coolers and the stock was significantly low.

But keeping the store open is worth it, Smith said. Im not sure Im getting rich, but this town would dry up without a grocery store.

There are some changes taking place and Smith said more are planned.

Weve got tons of plans for the future, Smith said.

One of the first was to hire additional people. Lisa White was promoted to deli manager, Carl Smith is the new meat market manager, Phyllis McCarter is the produce manager, R.B. Swartwood is the night manager and Justin McCarter is the assistant night manager. The Sexton Foods sign has come down and Smith said he expected the new sign sometime this week. The front of the store will be painted hunter green  the same color as the new shirts worn by employees.

The Pizza Pro franchise is out, mainly to allow the deli more leeway in their production and service. Smith said he plans to have an all-you-can-eat buffet and to offer more dishes including spaghetti, subs and hot wings, and a bigger variety of pizza such as Philly steak and cheese and bar-b-cue. Theyll also offer delivery.

Pizza delivery isnt the only personal service Smith said hell handle. If a person is elderly or shut-in and in dire need of groceries, they can call in a list and Smith will gather the items and deliver those. He said this will be based only need and he doesnt plan to charge for the service.

Senior citizens discount day, a stamp program in which a card covered with stamps can be redeemed for special prices and longer hours are all part of the stores new ownership.

The inventory is another story entirely. Smith said hes working to increase the items on the shelves, but said its a slow process. He plans to add a line of $1 items such as cleansers and household needs.

Therell be no reason to go anywhere else. You can come in, have something to eat, buy whatever you need, and leave happy.

The pricing has also been of concern. Smith said he will routinely make a list of 100 items bought by typical shoppers  bread, milk and other staples  and compare his price to Wal-Marts. If his price is higher, hell make a TPR  temporary price reduction  to bring the cost back inline.

He said hes been moving stock around in an effort to make shopping as easy as possible on the customer and to make the most efficient use of the space available.

Smith is married and he and his wife, Season, have two children, a daughter, Kennedy and a son, Aiden. Smith said the past few weeks have been busy for the family, especially with the transfer of ownership of the store in late May.

Season went into labor the day I bought the store, Smith said.

Smith worked at Gurdon grocery stores for former owners, and at Piggly Wiggly at Arkadelphia.

He said he believes in Gurdon and believes in the store, though he said the road has been a bit bumpy.

Now that its mine, its a bigger headache, he said, though he continued to smile. The air conditioner went out, weve had cooler problems, my wife going into labor. As he continued with the stores problems and the solutions hes working on, he said, Its a little frustrating, but a little more exciting when its fixed.

The name of the store  Smiths Hometown Market  and the logo  The store with the big heart  are designed the reflect the new attitude of the owner. And Smith said he believes theres a new attitude growing among the staff.

I think so, he said. And the service is going to get better. I realize some people arent doing what theyre supposed to be doing. Theres a lot wrong and itll take time.

Smith said there were some people and organizations key to his ownership of the store, including the Clark County Industrial Council, Brown Hardman, State Sen. Percy Malone, Bill Wright with Elk Horn Bank and Trust, Fist Bank of Camden, the City of Gurdon and Gurdon Mayor Clayton Franklin.

And he said a the support of the employees continue to play a major role in the store. I dont keep the store running, he said, touting their dedication. They do.

Smith said he is optimistic about his future, and that of Smiths Hometown Market.

I dont see how it can fail as long as the people are behind me, Smith said. Its a little town, but were going for the big benefits.