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‘There was a void’

4 min read
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BOBTOWN – For as long as anyone can remember, Bobtown has had a store where residents could stop to buy their bread, milk and other minor household items.

The town was founded by Shannopin Coal Co. in the 1920s to provide housing for miners who worked in the company’s mine, and the first store was the company store run by Pittsburgh Mercantile Co.

A succession of small grocery stores followed including, The Little Store, Kemcheck’s and the Bobtown Market.

That all came to an end in August 2013, when Sam Cossick, who ran Bobtown Market for more than 30 years, retired, closing the only place residents could shop without getting into the car and driving three or more miles down the road.

“There was a void,” said Denise Desmet of Bobtown. “There has always been a store in Bobtown and when the market closed something was missing.”

Desmet, her son, Bradley Myers, and their family are now working to fix that. The family in November purchased the store from Cossick and are now preparing to reopen it.

“I was born and raised in Bobtown, and I knew how important the store was,” Desmet said. “We have a lot of people here who are retired and people who don’t have the transportation to go outside Bobtown to get bread or milk or other things.”

Now, residents either have to drive to the Dilliner Convenience Store, also known as the 9-to-9, on Route 188, about three miles away, or Belko Food Store in Mt. Morris, which is more than four miles away.

Bell’s Wholesale Grocery Inc. of Mt. Morris will be the main grocery supplier to the store. In addition to the regular staples, the store will sell deli meat, fresh brewed coffee, lottery tickets, cigarettes, balloons and sandwiches.

Myers said he also is thinking about starting a farmers’ market for the community in the back lot in the summer, selling Christmas trees and flowers for the holidays as well as carrying hunting licenses and dog licenses.

“Anything people in the community might need, we’ll try to bring it to them,” said Desmet.

The “theme” of the store’s interior decorations will be coal mining, Desmet said, She also plans to have a “Shannopin” hoagie and “coal” slaw on the store’s menu and a place to post old pictures of the Shannopin Mine, the town and its residents.

Desmet said she also hopes to add a “spirit shop” for Southeastern Greene School District, whose school colors are black and gold.

Desmet, a former member of Southeastern Greene School Board, has some experience in the food industry, having run Jedo’s Restaurant in Dilliner from about 1995 to 2005. In addition to helping with the store, she said, she will continue her present employment as a dispatcher at the Greene County 911 center.

Myers, who is 27, is also a firearms instructor and has a firearms training business called Dynamics of Aggression. In October, he resigned his job as a coal miner at Consol’s Bailey Mine.

Myers said it was a hard decision to make but he was looking for a change in lifestyle that didn’t include working shifts or underground. Because of changes in the industry from increased regulations, he said, he also didn’t think he would be able work the number of years necessary to retire as a miner.

Cossick wanted the store to end up in the hands of the right person, Myers said. “He is very passionate about this place.” Cossick also is very passionate about the community, Myers said, and remains active on the school board and as a board member of the local water authority.

Like Cossick, Desmet said, she and her family care deeply about Bobtown and believe they are ones who will be able to continue the tradition. Cossick ran this store for many years, Desmet said. “It’s going to be hard to fill his shoes.”

The store is expected to be ready to open Jan. 2.

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