A town hall meeting was held to address the new grocery store
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) This may be bare now, but it will soon make the perfect spot for a shopping spree.
“We are very excited.” said Mayor Phil Goodwin, town of Smithville.
City leaders and Freshly’s market workers in Aberdeen, came together to hold a town hall meeting to discuss the plans for building the new Freshly’s Market in Smithville.
“We are going to have a place where people can eat breakfast.” said Goodwin. “Deli and eat lunch, and it will be able to provide full service.”
The Town of Smithville has not had a grocery store in more than a decade, since the last one was destroyed by a tornado. Since then, Smithville residents have had to travel to other cities just to make groceries.
“It eliminates that food desert where the elders have to go far to get groceries.” said Katina Holliday, CEO of Freshly’s Market. “I know that they are happy about what is happening because they talk about it all the time.”
“That is great.” said Goodwin. “We will have people from the Fulton area, Amory area, different kind of places are going to be coming to shop because we will be closer for them. ”
With people being able to shop for groceries, enjoy a hot meal, and some being able to find a new job, Freshly’s Market CEO Katina Holliday says, the new shopping site will also add to economic development.
“To know that you will be able to bring jobs and community development in that community.” said Holliday. “When you think about grocery stores and here at this Freshly’s, it is the community that we see everyday and they come to our deli everyday, and it brings the community together. It is the togetherness and the oneness that helps bring Smithville back to where they were. ”
Ground is expected to be broken for the grocery store within the next 45 days.
