Bell’s in Rowlesburg, last of Belko Foods, to be sold
ROWLESBURG — The owner of the only grocery store in Rowlesburg is looking for a buyer.
Richard Bell said Bell’s in Rowlesburg is the last of the Belko Foods stores to be sold.
He said Belko has owned the store since 2003. “As a wholesaler we wanted to get out of the retail business and go in a different direction,” he said.
“We are trying to find a buyer so the community is not left without a store,” Bell said. “We are currently negotiating with several interested parties.”
He said a closing date has not been set.
Sonya Hovatter, assistant manager at the Rowlesburg store, said June would mark her 13th year with the company.
She said she likes working for the company and plans to stay until the store is either closed or sold.
Customer Scott DeWitt said he hopes Belko will find a buyer.
“If the store closes it will be inconvenient,” he said. “We’ll have to go to Terra Alta, Kingwood or Cool Springs to buy groceries.”
According to Google, a round-trip to Terra Alta via Salt Lick Road would be 24.12 miles, a round-trip to Kingwood on W.Va. 72 would be 22.8 miles, and it would be an 8.8-mile round-trip to Cool Springs Park on W.Va. 72.
Donna Close, owner of Sidetracks in Rowlesburg, said she believes closing the store would cause a hardship for some.
“We have a lot of elderly people living here. A lot of people go to that store,” Close said. “It’s not just the elderly, it’s going to be hard to adjust. We’ve always had a grocery store.”
Bell said rather than see the store close, he would owner finance.
“It would be like a lease purchase agreement. It would include the property, the building and all of the equipment,” he said. “The inventory would be separate.”
Anyone interested in the store can call Bell at 724-324-5535. He said the purchase price will be discussed at that time.
