Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
The closing of FasChek in Marlinton in 2015 was a great loss to the community and an inconvenience to those who lacked transportation to access shopping options on Rt. 219 north of town.
The FasChek building sat vacant for a period of time, then, in 2016, Johnny and Sharon Moore purchased the building and lot. Hope was renewed as news spread that the store had new owners.
But there was only one problem, Johnny’s plan for the building wasn’t what the public had in mind.
“My initial plans were to put a garage in here – a shop,” Johnny said, referring to his excavating business. “I was going to put a mechanic’s shop and a laydown yard down here for my equipment.”
Instead, after hearing from the community and seeing the need for a grocery store in the downtown area, Johnny had a change of heart, and so began the quest to open Lucy’s Grocery and Moore.
“We had a lot of people that just kept asking for it,” Johnny said. “We thought we’d try it.”
“He had a lot of responses from the community, begging for it to come back, and that kind of gave him the push he needed,” store manager Sarah Doss said.
“That’s my big adventure, and Sarah’s big adventure,” Johnny added, laughing.
He may not have experience running a grocery store, but with the help of Doss and other employees, Johnny saw the adventure come to life with the store’s grand opening July 11.
“It’s going really pretty good,” he said on the store’s second day. “It’s going as good as can be expected with the way we had to open. There’s still things we’ve got to do. It will take us a few weeks to get all the bugs worked out – we knew that going in.”
The customers didn’t seem to notice any bugs or glitches the first day of operation.
Products offered at Lucy’s Grocery are similar to those offered by FasChek – dried goods, frozen foods, fresh meat, dairy products, paper products, pet food and cleaning supplies. The store will soon have a propane exchange for customers, as well. Even with all of that, Doss said the store is open to suggestions.
“We’ve made a request list for people,” she said. “Certain products they are looking for, that way we can try to get it for the community – get what they want in here.”
Community is definitely the vibe the store puts off as a whole. It’s a small family business which treats its customers like family.
The name itself is to honor family – Johnny’s mom and granddaughter, both named Lucy.
“She was an RN,” Johnny said of his mother. “She was a health nurse in Pocahontas County for thirty years. The little one is just three years old. She’s like her dad.”
And, of course, the Moore family name is used, too. Many may think it is a spelling error to say Lucy’s Grocery and Moore, but once they realize who the owners are, it all begins to make sense.
Store hours are: Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m.