Independent Businesses Set Up Shop in East Montgomery
An abandoned Bruno’s Grocery in Montgomery’s Chantilly Corner is now the space of two new local businesses.
On Wednesday, Renfroe’s Foodland held its grand opening. Inside, Adams Drugs is opening its eleventh location.
Renfroe’s Foodland will be open 7 A.M. to 9 P.M., seven days a week. Adams Drugs will be open Monday through Friday from 8 A.M. to 7 P.M., Saturday from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M. and Sunday from noon to 5 P.M.
Shopper Melvin River says he hopes the new store will drive down prices.
“It’s just like Walmart. Now they’ll probably have to bring some of their prices down, because they have a competitor right down the road from them. Other than that, their prices would stay up,” Rivers said.
Adams Drugs Co-Owner Mike Vinson says it’s a good business decision for two locally owned business to partner. “I feel like this one will take off faster than our other start-ups simply because we’ve got a customer base walking in the door every day,” he said.
Together, the two stores will employ more than 100 people. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange and Pike Road Mayor Gordon Stone say they hope this will encourage more local businesses to open up shop in spaces abandoned by larger chains. Store owners say location is key.
“We were looking for a long time, and we figured this was a good spot to be in. East Montgomery is growing, and we just wanted to be a part of that,” said Rob Renfroe.
The Renfroes own two other grocery stores, one on McGehee Road in Montgomery and another in Dadeville.
