Natrona Heights' Community Supermarket to shut down this fall
The days of having a convenient supermarket just down the street are coming to a close in Natrona Heights.
The Community Supermarket in the Heights Plaza Shopping Center will close its doors this fall.
"It just breaks my heart," Debbie Crusan of Saxonburg said.
Everyone has their favorite find. But Crusan and others will soon have to look for an alternative grocery store.
"It's going to be an inconvenience for sure, for a lot of people, I think anyway," Paul Norris of Tarentum said.
Community Supermarket's general manager says it's been a tough economic time for places like this.
"They make it tough," general manager George Sears said when asked about the pressures of bigger competition.
"They got the money; I guess they can survive," Norris said.
About 30 people worked at the store in Natrona Heights.
"I'm just going to miss them all. They've been great," Jane Jarosinski of Sarver said.
It's part of why coming here was worth it to these residents.
"It's not a big box chain," Crusan said.
Sears told KDKA-TV that Community Supermarket hopes to retain employees at other locations in Bloomfield, Lower Burrell and Penn Hills.
"We are deeply disappointed that Giant Eagle affiliate, Community Market, has opted to discontinue operations at Heights Plaza," asset manager of Heights Plaza Shopping Center, Richard Lubkin, told KDKA-TV in a statement.
"Community Market has been a mainstay of the Natrona Heights area for many years. The value-oriented product the grocery store provided was appreciated by thousands of local consumers. A sizable portion of Harrison Township and surrounding communities have relied on Community Market for its shopping needs, including many of our mature citizens. We hope to provide an alternative grocery option for the community in the future."
