A family-run North Carolina meat and produce market has reached the end of an almost four-decade run, with its owner citing the rising cost of doing business. The Greensboro shutdown comes as grocery stores across the country adjust their footprints, but the pressure on this independent market has been particularly personal.
Town & Country Meat & Produce Market, located on West Vandalia Road in Greensboro, was founded in 1989 by the father of current operator Christy Umfleet. The family announced September 30 as the store’s closing day after serving local customers for about 37 years.
Rising expenses put pressure on a family business
In an interview with Greensboro television station WGHP, republished by AOL, Umfleet said the store had struggled with higher operating costs for more than a year. She pointed to increases in fuel, beef and utility expenses following the pandemic.
The shopping center’s ownership was also in transition. Umfleet said a possible rent increase would add another cost, but she described that as a possibility rather than a confirmed new lease rate. It would be misleading to say a rent increase had already occurred and directly caused the closing.
That distinction helps explain the challenge independent grocers face. They purchase inventory, keep refrigerators running, handle payroll and pay for space while competing against much larger retailers. In this case, the owner specifically identified multiple bills that had become harder to manage.
Shoppers and local vendors lose a familiar stop
The market sold meat, produce and products that some regulars said were harder to find at conventional supermarkets. A customer interviewed by WGHP said the store offered items he could not readily buy elsewhere, while other shoppers showed up after hearing the announcement.
The business had also given small local sellers a place to reach customers. Employee Dominique Alston, who ran a cake business, described getting the opportunity to offer his desserts at the market in 2024. He said other North Carolina entrepreneurs had also been able to introduce products there.
Those accounts show why the closing extends beyond the family that ran the store. The space functioned as a market for local food makers as well as a place where residents could pick up groceries and interact with employees they recognized.
Umfleet did not announce a confirmed new site or a reopening timetable in the reporting reviewed. She said the family’s next steps were still uncertain and urged customers to keep supporting locally owned businesses.
The announced September 30 closing is also supported by a subsequent public customer note saying the market was no longer operating in early October, although no formal company update establishing an exact final transaction was located.
A verified employee layoff total was not published in the main local report. For now, the safest description is a family-operated market ending its longtime Greensboro storefront, with the future of the business still unresolved.
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