The Kingstree Food Lion held a ribbon cutting ceremony at 7:45 a.m. on September 21, to officially unveil their massive remodel made in the store over the last several months.
Photos by Tami Rodgers
April of 2021 was an eventful month for grocery stores in Kingstree. Bi-Lo closed its store early that month. Food Lion bought the building at 1319 N. Longstreet St.
Then the magic began.
“From the day we got the keys, we did a 10-day flip,” Food Lion Store Manager Jay Sandusky said.
Ten days? How was that done?
“Very carefully,” Sandusky said. “It was very organized.”
Customers lined up early Wednesday morning in front of the newly remodeled Food Lion with eager anticipation as the first 100 in line received a mystery gift card valued up to $250, and additional giveaways.
After Food Lion opened that month, activity slowed. Then this April, reconstruction began. Bang, bang, bang.
“We did a full remodel in five months on the inside of the building,” Sandusky said.
The store was open for regular hours during those five months.
Five months? How was that done?
“Very carefully,” Sandusky said. “With the customer in mind, we tried to make it easy. Most of the work was done overnight.”
Now the work is done. On Sept. 21, it was time to celebrate with a grand reopening.
Food Lion associates took a moment to gather around and celebrate.
The store held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil significant changes made in the store. The first 100 customers in line received $10 gift cards, and one customer was surprised with a $250 gift card.
“She was very excited,” Sandusky said. “She's been going through some hard times. She really needed it. We were happy to give her that card.”
Additional giveaways were scheduled to take place later in the week.
The store features a remodeled deli and bakery. Extensive product assortment includes “grab-and-go” options. Customers also have a large selection of organic, gluten-free and plant-based items from which to choose. That includes Nature’s Promise items, which are Food Lion’s products made with no artificial flavors, preservatives or synthetic colors.
The store also sells many local offerings, including fresh produce from W.P. Rawl Farms in Pelion, Columbia’s Cromer’s Popcorn and Iron City Coffee freshly roasted in Blythewood.
To support hunger relief in the Kingstree area, the store hosted the Food Lion Feeds Grocery Store Gallop on Sept. 21. CMD Pantry and Praise Tabernacle, two local hunger-relief organizations, “competed” against each other to be the first to complete a shopping list in three minutes or less. Both feeding agencies kept the groceries they shopped for, with the winner receiving a $500 Food Lion gift card and the second-place participant receiving a $250 Food Lion gift card.
CMD pantry will collect food regularly from the store to distribute to neighbors in need through Food Lion Feeds’ food rescue program, in which food safe for humans is donated to a local feeding agency before spoiling. Food Lion Feeds has donated more than 970 million meals to neighbors in need since 2014.
Sandusky previously worked at Food Lion stores in the Charleston area.
The Kingstree store employs 75 people.
“This building would have been another shuttered building if Food Lion hadn't taken it over,” Sandusky said. “Many people in the community would have been without a job.”
