Denison Kroger closing after 59 years

Opened in 1960, the Kroger on Crawford Street in Denison has been the go to grocery store for some folks who live in the area, and some people have been going to this grocery store since they first opened their doors.

Barbara Snell has lived in Denison her whole life, and remembers when Kroger opened.

"I come here every day, all day. Its real convenient and close to the house," said Snell.

Billy Harris has been a loyal customer for almost 40 years.

"I'm real upset because I love this store. I'm in this store seven or eight times a day in this store," said Harris.

A Kroger representative says the store just wasn't making enough money.

The nearly 60 employees here will be offered severance according to their Union contract and an option to transfer to another Kroger.

"The good news is we have a really robust economy and there's a lot of job opportunities, and of course we have a Workforce Solutions Texoma there to help those employees there make a transition," said Denison Development Alliance President Tony Kaai.

Kaai said they will work with a broker to find a new business, or businesses to fill the space.

"It's a fairly large facility, so it might be able to be split into two different spaces and meet the needs of different types of clients," said Kaai.

As for Harris, he says he refuses to shop anywhere except Kroger.

"I don't drive, but I live just right across the street here, and its like walking distance for me. So now, I'm going to have to find a way to get to Sherman to get to Kroger," said Harris.

A representative from Kroger says the Denison store will close for good in April.