This story was originally published by the Roseburg News-Review and is used with permission.
On Tuesday, Drain resident Nancy Whitlock was out for a morning walk when she passed the Ray's Food Place and saw a new sign hanging from the side of the building, which reads "Store Closing. Everything Must Go!"
"Well, that's really not good," Whitlock said.
On Jan. 14, C&K Market announced that the Ray's Food Place store in Drain will close in late February. The grocery retailer first took over the location in August 2012.
In an email with C&K Market Director of Advertising Dan Gustafson, he wrote that the reason for the closure is the same challenge facing other local grocers: There is not enough business to support the store.
“This was not an easy decision,” C&K Market President Rocky Campbell said. “The Drain community welcomed us into their daily lives, and we are sincerely thankful for the strong relationships built along the way.”
Gustafson wrote that the stores 11 employees have been offered jobs at other Ray's Food Place locations. The nearest is in the town of Veneta, over 20 miles outside of Drain, followed by locations in Roseburg, Oakridge and Myrtle Creek.
According to a C&K Market press release, gift cards and loyalty rewards will still be honored at other Ray's Food Place locations.
The location was one of the only locations in the town where residents could buy groceries and produce, the other being Dollar General. The closure follows the loss of the the town's only bank, U.S. Bank, when it closed on Jan. 15.
For customer Bud Shilders, who said he has been a customer at the Ray's Food Place decades before it was bought by C&K Market, both the grocery store and bank will be sadly missed.
"I'm going to miss it," Shilders said. "It's just a loss. We're just wondering what's going on."
But the closure isn't just affecting Drain residents. Glide resident Alex Boyd, who comes into Drain for logging work, said he would frequently stop by the grocery store on his travels and is concerned for what the closure means for locals.
"What are people that live here going to do? I buy eggs from a lady in Yoncalla, she's 80 years old. What's she going to do?" Boyd said. "I'm inconvenienced by it a little bit, but it ain't going to affect me nearly like it does anybody else."
Elkton resident Joy Smith, who also shopped at the Drain Ray's Food Place on Tuesday, said she is sad to see it leave because it means less variety in groceries for residents.
"It's been a staple of Drain since as long as I can remember," Smith said. "It's going to be sad because they have more than Dollar General has to offer, so it's going to suck to lose their variety of things that they have."
To help older adults and residents without access to transportation, Drain resident and Capricorn Mansion owner Ame Beard has offered to help drive them to banks or grocery stores, pick up goods and deliver meals for those in need.
"We just want to be able to be helpful to others right now in their time of need," Beard said. "It could be any one of us that are having a hard time in life, so if we step up, it's setting a good example for others."
