WELLSVILLE – It looked like a bomb went off just north of Maverik on Wellsville’s Main Street and Hwy 89 this morning. Two homes went up in flames and trees were being leveled. Firetrucks and earth moving equipment knocking down everything in their paths.
It wasn’t a bomb, it was a calculated house fire, demolition and the leveling of land for a new grocery store. The Wellsville City Council rezoned the plot of land commercial so a couple of local investors could build a grocery store there, said Bob Lindley, a Wellsville City councilman.
The Wellsville Fire Department started using the two houses for firefighting exercises and finally burned them to the ground on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
A group of investors are building a small Associated Foods grocery store with Chevron gas to serve Wellsville and other parts of the south end of the valley, said Scott Wells the Wellsville City manager.
They’re building a store similar to one they bought and remodeled in Island Park. They called it the Sam Patch Grocery Store after the dare devil who jumped into Niagara Falls. The Island Park store was successful enough they started looking for ground they could build another one.
“This is going to be a good thing for Wellsville,” Wells said. “This is the first grocery store we’ve had in Wellsville for quite some time.”
The just shy of 20,000 square foot store is being built on a 4.25 acre site and should be completed by the end of next summer.
“I think the people in Wellsville are ecstatic,” he said. “The store will be a good shot in the arm for the city.”
The store will have deli, lunch and meat departments.
The Sam Patch store is following the trend of new grocery stores across the country which are opting for smaller footprints. Trade publication Progressive Grocer said with property cosst, furnishings and equipment on the rise, it makes sense to reduce the size of retail footprint to be successful.
The new store will be accessed from Main Street in Wellsville/ Hyrum 300 North or 900 East near Sharps Transport.
Sam Patch owners said they are not trying to compete with their sister store in Hyrum, but they are trying to find a niche to serve the local community.