On Friday, it’ll be more difficult for people without transportation in Hogansville to shop for groceries.

Piggly Wiggly, which has been a part of the community for decades, announced on Monday that it was closing on Friday. The news came as a shock to city leaders and prompted the city to write on its Facebook page that the news was “devastating.”

For many, there’s another option. Ingles isn’t far down the road, so anyone with a working vehicle can take a few extra minutes and shop there. Others aren’t so lucky.

As Mayor Bill Stankiewicz said Monday, the Piggly Wiggly on U.S. Highway 29 was a place people could walk to the store. Piggly Wiggly is located right in downtown Hogansville, within a minute of driving from city hall, so many stopped on their way home to pick up dinner.

After hearing the news, Stankiewicz said he immediately contacted the LaGrange-Troup County Chamber of Commerce, who put him in touch with Retail Strategies to discuss retail recruitment.

It’s unfortunate any time a business closes anywhere, but in a city with a population around 3,000 people, the loss of a downtown grocery seems to hit a little harder than other locations.