BLANCHARDVILLE — Very soon, Mark Emberson will be closing his namesake grocery store in Blanchardville, a venture he said he was a realist about when he purchased the business in 2011.
“I didn’t expect people to buy all their groceries here,” he said, noting that he doesn’t blame them for shopping on Amazon, something he himself has done. He’s happy that the store survived as long as it did in this changing world, one that prizes variety and immediacy and hasn’t been kind to small businesses.
He believes the grocery store has been in Blanchardville since 1929, passed through families who have owned and operated it through the years.
“I think Main Street, rural brick and mortar America, is really struggling,” Emberson said. “I’m not saying it’s everywhere but I think it’s a good majority of this country.”
In his case, despite still turning a profit, it just got harder and harder to sustain the business over the years. But closing Emberson’s Market wasn’t easy.
“At 43, I think it’s probably one of the hardest decision(s) I ever had to make,” he said, choking up, adding that a primary reason was because of some of his most loyal customers: the elderly. He recalled making deliveries to them, then stopping to chat for a few minutes.
“You know, for some days I might be the only one they see,” Emberson said.
The satisfaction of helping people and providing a service to the community is something he takes pride in. That, and the friendships made, are his most memorable takeaways from the experience.
The produce case is now bare and the deli is nearly empty. There’s still plenty of frozen food, but Emberson is looking forward to turning off those cases soon too. Signs there and throughout the market remind customers that only cash and check are accepted now, but also that everything except alcohol and soda is 40% off.
While there have been a few new faces, most customers who have come in to take advantage of the sale have been his regulars.
“To give them the extra discount makes me feel good,” Emberson said. “It’s like, ‘Thank you, thank you for supporting me all these years.’”
Emberson, who currently lives above the store, hasn’t yet sold the building, though he put it up for sale in April 2018. He made his official closing announcement via Facebook this Labor Day.
He would love to go back to sales, his previous occupation, but has good things to say about this chapter of his working life, calling it fun, challenging and “more rewarding than anything.”
And even though his store will soon be gone, he encourages shoppers to patronize places like it.
“If it helps another small business, that’s kind of the goal,” said Emberson of telling his story. “Keep it local. Support your local businesses.”
