The Kroger on Romany Road in Lexington’s Chevy Chase neighborhood closed its doors for the last time on September 12 at 6 pm, amid strong neighborhood protest. The site had been a grocery store for nearly 50 years (formerly housing a Randall’s and a Pantry Fresh Market).
Common laments on social media included, “Sad day. I’ve been going there for practically my entire life.”
Longtime customer Robert Treadway wrote on Facebook:
“I do not mean to suggest that Kroger does not have the right to shut down the store if they want to. However, I have to believe that if they had made a reasonable effort to show a profit at this store, they could have. This is one of the most valuable retail locations in Lexington, a place that has housed a supermarket for 48 years, according to one of the employees, in the center of a neighborhood of people who have been loyally coming here for that period of time. Had Kroger done a few things to accommodate the needs of the neighborhood, it would have had a profitable store here. But, for whatever reason, Kroger chose not to do these things, and I can only say, again, goodbye, old friend.”
Romany customers will now be served by the newly-reopened Disco Kroger on Euclid a mile away and the recently remodeled Kroger on Chinoe 1.8 miles away. Chevy Chase residents have pointed out that the Euclid Kroger is difficult to navigate and already past shopper capacity (turn-in traffic frequently stretches from the Euclid Avenue entrance to Woodland Avenue on the UK Campus).
Via Twitter:
The integration of the Romany People and the Frat Bros is not going well at the Disco Kroger. 😾😷
— Michael Miller (@MJansenMiller) September 13, 2015
LIVE on #Periscope: Last Time in Romany Kroger https://t.co/55ybeOXjml
— nate cornett (@natecornett) September 12, 2015
Petition fights to keep Romany Road Kroger open http://t.co/9vXE3BJUbN pic.twitter.com/PPiNSymPog — ABC 36 News (@ABC36News) September 8, 2015
Good ole Wheeler’s Pharmacy adds grocery line now that Kroger’s has left the neighborhood on Romany Rd in Lexington. pic.twitter.com/j1E9Gx9A49 — Oscar Combs (@wildcatnews) September 14, 2015
An optimistic petition to save the store that circulated via change.org collected more than 1000 signatures. In the aftermath of the store’s closing, residents haven’t given up on the idea of a neighborhood grocery, floating hopes for a Trader Joe’s, a Whole Foods, a Lucky’s, or a Fresh Market. Council Member Bill Farmer, who serves the Chevy Chase neighborhood, has scheduled a community forum for 6 pm, September 15, at nearby Christ the King, to discuss the future of the space. The space is currently leased by Kroger, whose management is unlikely to welcome a grocery that competes with its Euclid and Chinoe stores.
