It always shocks me when a business you imagine is too big to close does. I was so surprised when the news came out last week that the Shop Rite on Wolcott Street in Waterbury was closing permanently at the end of September 2022. How does a major grocery store, that was among the cheapest in town, just up and quit?

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Not only Shop Rite in Waterbury, I'm also scratching my head over my beloved Town Plot IGA on Fairfield Avenue. When I moved out of Waterbury in January this year, the grocery store was known as Key Foods. Today? It's called Banana Fresh Market. Here's a video the new owners posted to YouTube recently -

Town Plot IGA was our go-to grocery store as long as I can remember. The Schnaar's family ran that thing like a top from the early 1960's all the way until Fred retired and sold out to Key Foods a few years ago. From what I can gather, that's what's happening in the case of the Wolcott Street Shop Rite -  the owner had maintained a successful operation for decades, and now has decided that it's time to enjoy retirement.

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What happens now to the prime real estate that Shop Rite is vacating on Wolcott Street? Who knows? I remember when it used to be Toys R Us, and Edward's was next door. I'd imagine that Stop & Shop isn't interested in moving across the road, Big Y is already in the suburbs of Waterbury in Naugy and Cheshire. Are they going to bring Price Chopper back? Or is Waterbury able to sustain an Amazon/Whole Foods or Trader Joe's?

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