Community Supermarket employees, customers bid farewell to Harrison store

Archie Nyga drove about a half-mile in his electric wheelchair Wednesday to Community Supermarket in Harrison to buy lottery tickets.

The 75-year-old, a resident of nearby Sheldon Park, was too late. The grocery store was preparing to close its doors for good at 3 p.m.

“It’s OK,” Nyga said. “If I don’t come in every couple days, they start asking where I am.”

Nyga had been a regular at the store more than 20 years, since it opened in 2002. He lingered at the lottery counter to bid farewell to the handful of employees before they locked up for the final time.

“What am I gonna do now?” Nyga asked.

Inside, the store was a stark difference from days when business bustled. Shelves were mostly empty; produce and meat cases were wiped bare.

Three or four customers walked through the household and frozen sections where a few items remained.

Ronnie Lopez was among the customers to browse the inventory just before closing. Lopez works nearby and often stops in for lunch.

“I have the privilege of having a car, but I feel bad for people who don’t,” Lopez said. “What are they supposed to do now?

“It’s a minor inconvenience for me to not have this store, but it will be a major problem for some others.”

Springdale resident Patty Katz was the last customer to check out. She wasn’t aware of the closing but happened into the store because she was in the area and “it was grocery day.” She called it a blessing to fill her cart with items from the store’s 50% sale.

Employees working Wednesday said they weren’t permitted to comment on the closing, but they could be overheard lamenting how sad they were.

“It’s gonna be a hard hit to the community,” one of them said.

Company officials said all of the staff were offered the chance to transfer to one of the company’s locations in Lower Burrell, Penn Hills or Bloomfield, or the company-owned Giant Eagle in Verona.

General Manager George Sears said the closing was driven by economics and the change in supermarket landscapes. Competition from Walmart and a proposed township Aldi store held weight, too.

Aldi has been planning a move into Harrison for about three years. The discount grocery giant has a store across the river on Tarentum Bridge Road in New Kensington and submitted development plans to Harrison officials last year. The company plans to build a store at the site of the former Harbison Nursery, across the street from Walmart.

Heights Plaza owner Benbrooke Development previously said it would seek another market to fill the vacancy, but the company has not returned calls from TribLive seeking comment.

Benbrooke recently has listed the plaza for sale for $16 million.

As the last employees walked away from the store, Debra Brestensky drove past with her son, Rhyan Porter.

“Best wishes,” the Brackenridge resident yelled from her window.

“There were certain things you could find here that other stores just won’t have,” Brestensky said. “This is an ethnic community, and you could always count on them to have kolachi and nutrolls.”

Minutes later, customer Matt Jameson arrived and was met with a locked door. He drove from East Deer for a gallon of milk.

“Walmart is OK, but it’s too hectic,” Jameson said. “I guess I’ll have to go to Sheetz. This was a nice little place to shop.”