Sa loob ng matagal na panahon, mayroon lamang isang grocery store sa Silverton, Colorado, sa U.S.
Ang Silverton ay isang remote area na may population ng 713 katao (as of 2023) at may area na 207 hectares.
Dito nakatayo ang Silverton Grocery & Deli na nag-iisang grocery store simula 2000, ayon sa December 2, 2024 report ng Rocky Mountain PBS YouTube channel.
Pag-aari ito ng mag-asawang Darlene at Mark Watson.
Lumaki sa lugar sina Darlene at Mark. Lumipat sa Silverton ang pamilya ni Darlene noong 1980. Si Mark naman ay noong 1974 at nagtrabaho sa minahan, kunsaan nakilala ang lugar.
Isa si Mark sa mga nawalan ng trabaho nang ipagbawal ang minahan sa Silverton.
Dahil sa pagsasara rin ng minahan, nag-alisan ang mga tao rito at nabawasan ang populasyon.
Kasama sa mga umalis sina Darlene at Mark. Nagtrabaho sila sa siyudad.
Dekada '90, mag-asawa na noon sina Darlene at Mark, napagdesisyunan nilang bumalik sila sa Silverton at magbukas ng isang grocery store.
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THE ONLY GROCERY STORE
Ang grocery store na pinapatakbo ng mag-asawa ay nag-iisang grocery store sa loob ng 24 taon.
Bago sila ay may ibang nagmamay-ari ng negosyong ito.
“So this specific store used to be called Green Street Grocery and it opened in 1982. Mark and I were not the original owners of this building,” lahad ni Darlene.
“We moved down here in ‘97 and we ran it ever since.”
Hindi madali ang magpatakbo ng isang grocery store lalo pa at malayo ito sa kabihasnan.
“It’s always difficult to find suppliers that want to come up here,” saad ni Mark.
Sundot ni Darlene, “They don’t want to come up here because our location; they don’t wanna go mountain passes.
“I feel like our population makes it difficult. So they had set a higher freight fee for us. We work full time.”
Sila-silang magpapamilya lamang ang nagtutulungan para sa anumang trabaho sa grocery store.
“Whatever needs to be done we jump in and we do,” ani Mark. “Whether it’s covering the shift at the cash register, or putting orders away, or paperwork, or bookkeeping work.”
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ALMOST GIVING UP THE GROCERY STORE
Dahil sa higit dalawang dekadang pagpapatakbo, naisip na nina Darlene at Mark na ibenta ang kanilang negosyo.
Sabi ni Mark, “We obviously are getting older. We have sacrificed a lot.
“And we now have six grandchildren. We would like to spend time being part of their lives.”
June 2023 nang ilagay nila sa market ang grocery store para maibenta.
RESIDENTS’ REACTION
Nalungkot ang mga residente nang mabalitaan ang plano ng mag-asawa na ibenta ang kanilang tindahan.
Dahil para sa kanila, higit pa sa grocery store ang tingin nila rito.
Sabi ng residenteng si John Poole, nasa gitna ng bundok ang kanilang lokasyon.
“There are no close-by towns. The only large communities around here are about 60 miles away in either direction.”
Pahayag naman ni Carol Chance, life saver ang grocery store.
“In the wintertime, sometimes the roads on each side of the town are closed because of the snow for days. We really depend upon a grocery here in town.”
Nang masira raw ang kanyang refrigerator, nagprisinta ang kapatid ni Darlene na dalhin lahat ni Carol ang laman ng refrigerator sa grocery store at ilagay sa store refrigerator para hindi masira.
Punto ni Carol: “And it’s that kind of kindness and service to the community that makes it so important.”
Saad ng residente na si Keri Metzler: “I get everyday essentials from the grocery store here. If I’m headed to Durango and I need something, I’ll stop. But I’m not gonna make a special trip for it.”
Kuwento niya sa importansya ng grocery store nina Darlene at Mark, “Over the years, if it hadn’t been for them, my boys and I would’ve gone hungry more than once, and this little grocery store here, it helps support the community.”
Noong October 2024, hindi na ibinenta nina Darlene at Mark ang kanilang grocery store.
Marami raw sa mga nais bumili sa kanilang negosyo ay corporate companies.
“But our hopes would be to keep it local, to keep with it somebody who cares about the community.”
Ayaw raw nilang mabili ito ng isang management na makalipas lamang ang limang taon ay ibebenta sa mas malaking halaga.
Ani Mark, “I think that I want people to know that we care, we go above and beyond to get products, to try to have what they want, what they need.
“We understand that we are not Walmart. We can’t be a Walmart. But we do care about what’s here for the community.”