Bassett’s Grocery, which has operated on Route 66 in Afton, Okla., since 1922, is set to close soon, reported Laurel Kane on Sunday on her blog, Thoughts from a Route 66 Business Owner.
Shortly after we arrived at Afton Station this morning, Tommy Bassett came over to announce that he’s officially closing his little grocery store next week. His grandfather founded Bassett’s Grocery in 1922 and his father ran it until Tommy took it over many years ago. Now, Tommy is getting older and ready to retire, and business has fallen off lately with big, relatively new Wal-Mart Supercenters in the towns both east and west of Afton.
It’s hard to describe how sad this makes me. I’ve even surprised myself by this reaction. I don’t want to be the only business in town! I mourn for what was once a vital, thriving community and now is sinking into ghost town status. I mourn for the beautiful historic building that houses Bassett’s (built in 1911 for the Pierce Harvey Buggy Co.). I fear it will fall into the “wrong” hands and be razed, the fate of so many other buildings in town. I mourn for the few folks who still live here who can’t make the trip to a distant town to buy groceries. I mourn for Route 66 travelers who, a few years from now, will never know the quaint charms of a small town grocery.
When I talked to owner Tommy Bassett on the phone this morning, he was a lot more reluctant to acknowledge his business would soon close. “I’m just hanging on as long as I can,” he said.
His wife, Judy, however, said it was “coming to an end.”
Tommy Bassett said he would consider offers on the building at 11 SE First St., which contains two other storefronts and apartments on the second floor. The price range he gave me was $75,000 to $100,000, which includes the store’s equipment. Bassett’s phone number is 918-533-3993 or 918-257-5267.
As Kane said, the big retailers have hurt a lot of small-town grocers. The longtime owner of another historic Route 66 store, Star Cash Grocery in Commerce, Okla., mentioned this to me a few weeks ago.
Still, I think a grocery store can make it in Afton. It could cater to the steady steam of Route 66 travelers who stop at Afton Station. Afton still has nearly 1,000 residents, and because it’s a minimum 15 miles to neighboring cities of any significant size, it could still be a viable for locals who don’t want to burn a gallon or two of gas to go grocery-shopping.
(Photo courtesy of Laurel Kane)
I have worked at Bassett’s Grocery for almost 5 years and it could be a very thriving business. If this opportunity had come up 10-15 years ago, I would have jumped on it. The Route 66 connection could be a very major part of the business. If you are in the Route 66 tour guide people will stop and shop. We have customers from all over the world stop in this little store. The buildings still have the original Tin ceiling tiles up. Some are in bad shape but the majority of them are beautiful. It is a very good investment.