By Polly Mikula
The flood of July 2023 devastated many local communities; among them Ludlow suffered greatly. Now, nearly a year later, Shaw’s supermarket celebrated it grand reopening Friday, June 28, at 9 a.m. at it’s downtown store located at 213 Main Street. Having lost all its inventory and sustained significant damage the parking lot, which has been eerily empty for 11 months was full to capacity, with many residents, town officials, Shaw’s employees, and members of the Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony — and for the reopened shopping.
Rite Aid next door, which also suffered greatly from the flooding, however has elected not to reopen, so Shaw’s announced it would expand into the space with its own Shaw’s Pharmacy. The wall separating between the town businesses has been removed, connecting the main grocery store to the new pharmacy area.
During the grand opening celebration, store director Mark Largerberg donated $2,500 to the Black River Valley Senior Center and Black River Good Neighbor Services for their roles in serving the Ludlow community.
– A sign on Route 103 in Ludlow after flooding closed the road.
“On behalf of Shaw’s, we thank the Town of Ludlow for partnering with us on the grand reopening of the store,” said Jim Sussmann, Shaw’s Vermont district manager, in a provided press release. “We are extremely proud of our Ludlow store, and today’s grand reopening is an exciting day for our employees, vendors, and community partners.”
Looking back at the damages, last summer’s flooding hit the town harder than even Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.
After Irene, it took Shaw’s five months to replace concrete flooring, conduits and cable between the August rain and the January 2012 reopening.
Shaw’s supermarket, with its 19,000-square-foot interior, is the only big-box grocer within a half-hour radius.
Shaw’s in 2011rented a tent to create its first-ever canvas commissary. Scaling down the usual 20,000 items to the best-selling 700, it traded electronic barcodes and laser beams for old-fashioned price tags and punch-key cash registers powered by backup generators and batteries.
After last July closed the location again, the supermarket offered online ordering for people who log on to its website and choose the Ludlow Shaw’s zip code 05149. The only hiccup: The chain doesn’t usually deliver items to its parking lot for pickup until the next day, leaving gas stations and smaller out-of-town markets as the only options for people with last-minute needs.
As a result, the town has added a warning to its website advising people to plan ahead.
“Hoping that this link,” it says of the online ordering option, “will make your stay in Ludlow more enjoyable.”
The reopening of the supermarket marks the return of everyday conveniences for local shoppers.
