DECATUR — When a business closes its doors permanently, the repercussions are felt throughout the community it serves. The loss can be catastrophic in terms of economics to a small town whose population depends on it to supply basic needs. This is just what happened to a long-time business in Decatur.
At 6 a.m. on Oct. 5, customers trying to purchase items at the EZ Mart convenience store on Main Street in Decatur found a closed sign on the front door and a parking lot full of cars. Outside the store, a tanker truck drained the gas from the underground storage tanks near the side of the building.
EZ Mart employees from the corporate office in Texarkana, Texas, began removing items from the shelves and boxing them up for shipment to other stores in the area. By 11 a.m., the store windows were boarded up as vendors continued to remove their stock from the store.
The reason for the store's closure was not made public; but Sonji Hubbard, chief executive officer for EZ Mart, extended the company's sincere gratitude to the community for supporting its Decatur facility.
"Having served the community of Decatur for over a quarter of a century, it is with much regret that E-Z Mart ceases operations in this current location," Hubbard wrote in a press release to the Westside Eagle Observer Oct. 7. "We thank our team members for their loyal service and have extended employment opportunities at other E- Z Mart stores. We also thank our customers for their patronage, and the entire community for 25 years of support at our Decatur E-Z Mart."
While the loss of yet another business is a blow to the Decatur economy, Bob Tharp, Decatur mayor, believes that the city will survive much as it did when the Walmart Neighborhood Market shut down almost 18 months ago. The opportunity for a new business to take over were EZ Mart left off will bring the economy of Decatur back stronger than before, he said.
"EZ Mart has been a part of our community for nearly 25 years," said Tharp. "The loss of this store will hurt in terms of lost tax revenue; but the city of Decatur will continue to thrive, and we thank EZ Mart for its long-running service to our community."
General News on 10/12/2016