Grocery Store Closure Leaves Dozens Jobless
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MILAN, Tenn. – E.W. James & Sons in Milan opened its doors in 1998. Very soon after, Berk Berkley began working at the store. Berkley worked at the supermarket for 14 years until Monday when he arrived at work and saw a sign on the door. “I was told I no longer had a position here at the store. It was closed and that basically it was over,” Berkley said. After more than a decade with the company Berkley said he cannot believe he and his coworkers became jobless without any sort of warning. “It feels surreal. I feel like I’m in a dream and I’ll just wake up or something,” he said. For 14 years Berkley said he dedicated his life to the store and community and now he and his 39 former coworkers are left with no jobs but plenty of questions. Gary Bryd is the former supervisor of the Milan E.W. James & Sons location, he said he feels for all those affected. “They’ll hopefully find jobs elsewhere and we’re going to help them find those jobs if we can,” he said. The store closing did not just surprise employees, shoppers were also shocked at the abrupt closing. “I just told my pastor, I said ‘Brother Donny! I just wanna cry. I just can’t believe it’. I had a whole list to get in there today,” Sandy Sue said when she found out. Judy Tidwell was another shocked customer. She said the closing is going to force her to change her everyday routine. “E.W James is the only store where I can get the orange juice that I like. It has the most pulp in it,” she said. E.W. James management said of the 13 locations, Milan is the only one closing. They said Walmart and their location on a busy road have cost them customers. “This is just a great loss. There is a great hole in the heart of Milan at this point in time,” Berkley said. For customers and employees it is the familiarity of the small town store they will miss the most. “They’re friendly, they know me when I come in. If there’s something can’t reach they get it down for me. You don’t get that at Walmart,” Sue said. Byrd said they have two weeks to leave the building and are unsure what it will be used for next. He said while they are upset over the closing of their Milan location, they are optimistic about the opening of their Martin store.
