By Amelia Ferrell Knisely for The Charleston Gazette-Mail
Photo by Amelia Ferrell Knisely
CLAY, W.Va. — The parking lot was empty at the Clay IGA, a sign on the door noting the county’s only major grocery store was “temporarily closed.”
Inside, empty black cases once held fruits and vegetables; half-full shelves held some bags of bread, chips and snack cakes. A few lights remained on in the background, indicating the power was on, despite the faint smell of rotting food at the front door.
There was no date on the handwritten note. However, former employee Rocky Keener said the store permanently closed June 24.
He said the store’s owner, Pamela Widener-Stout, never communicated with him that he was losing his job. …