Kroger to reopen Elkview store following 2016 flood

ELKVIEW, W.Va. — Customers who have been waiting for the Elkview Crossings Mall Kroger to reopen will get their chance to shop again Wednesday morning.

The store, located off Interstate 79 in Kanawha County, will reopen its fully renovated facility during a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m.

Kroger was not destroyed in the June 2016 flood, but the high water did wash out the access bridge to the shopping center. The collapsed bridge forced the store to shutdown for 14 months.

“I had just left 15 minutes before the bridge collapsed. I was on the Interstate when they called me and told me it happened,” said Elkview Kroger employee Michelle Keeling.

Keeling has worked at the Elkview location since 2009. She’s been a Kroger employee since 2006. In the time since the flood, she has been working with other Kroger stores across the region. She said she’s excited to return to Elkview.

“It’s just nice where you have a job where you actually feel like you’re coming home every day,” Keeling said.

Elkview Kroger Store Manager Dan Workman gave a tour of the new construction Tuesday afternoon.

Some of the changes include an expanded produce and deli section, new floor tile, repainted walls, larger shelves, all new checkout lanes including self-check outs and more.

“Everything has been revamped,” Workman said. “Although the store wasn’t damaged in the flood, it was time for a remodel in this store. It’s just a lot quicker and easier to do it while we’re closed.”

On the left side of the store, the wall is painted to represent the Elk River community with words like “Elkview Middle School”, “Little Sandy Creek,” “Elk River Community Center” and “Bridge Elementary School.”

“There’s Elkview all over this place,” Workman said. “We are proud to be in Elkivew and we’re proud to serve our Elkview community.”

Keeling said the relationship with store employees and customers is unique. She said everyone knows everyone.

“Everybody here is more like family than anything. People come in and they say ‘hey, how are you?’ It’s not just like your regular run-of-the-mill grocery store. We’re a community. We’re a family and people come in to check on us,” she said.

The Kanawha County Commission officially named Aug. 23 as “Kroger Day” in honor of the store’s reopening.





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