Grapeland now boasts a Brookshire Brothers Express tailor made for its community. The latest retail location for the Lufkin-based grocer welcomed its first customers at 6AM Wednesday, October 26th. In opening the store, company COO John Alston said, “The good people of Grapeland let us know from the beginning that they needed not only a grocery store but a full-service pharmacy. When we started designing the store, we took that request into account and have delivered a small format grocery store and a pharmacy complete with a drive-through and a pharmacist whose grandparents live in Grapeland!” Alston went on to say that the beauty of the Express format is that it can be adapted to meet the needs of the community it serves. The employee-owned company has three more Express stores opening in Texas between now and February.
Latexo native Billy Harrington is the Store Director. Harrington has been with Brookshire Brothers more than twenty years serving stores in Crockett, Groveton and Corrigan. Lisa KennonVance of Groveton will be his assistant. They’ve hired 35 people to staff the store that will be open from 6AM-9PM daily. The store team is excited to provide Grapeland and surrounding Houston County a hot deli featuring grab and go favorites like Brookshire Brothers’ famous fried chicken, daily lunch specials and a full breakfast. The store is also stocked with core grocery items, fresh meat and produce. Pharmacist Heather Harrison leads her team that includes tech Jamie Bauer.
A host of city and county leaders, public officials, students and educators attended Wednesday’s ribbon cutting. The Grapeland High School band and cheerleaders entertained the crowd and Jon Rhone sang the National Anthem. Brookshire Brothers presented Chief Roger Dickey and the Volunteer Fire Department a check for $500 as part of the Ribbon Cutting. They also thanked Ashley Corns, Harry Pridgen and the team at the Grapeland Library for allowing them to host job fairs for the community there. Chamber President Pat McNieve joined Brookshire Brothers representatives in cutting the ribbon, officially opening the Grapeland store.
COO Alston reminded shoppers to take advantage of additional savings by joining CELEBRATE – Brookshire Brothers’ loyalty program. Weekly specials and promotions are delivered straight to the customers’ inbox and will soon include digital coupons.
Brookshire Brothers just celebrated its 95th birthday. The company continues to believe in super serving its customers and its communities with quality goods, great values and the extra bonus of shopping with someone you know. The Grapeland store will employ about 30 local people.