Another L&L Store Shuts Down




Financial struggles force the closure of another local grocery store, a major letdown for longtime shoppers of the Haslett L&L Food Center. The store will shut its doors for good after serving the community for nearly 15 years.

Erica Prysby, former employee: "It breaks my heart."

It's an emotional blow, one that hits close to home for Erica Prysby. She made friends and memories working at the Haslett L&L Food Center back in 2000, but now all she can do is sit back and watch as the store shuts down for good.

Erica Prysby: "It's very sad that it's closing, it breaks my heart, I don't want to see it go, it was a great store."

Amherst Partners, the company now controlling L&L, planned to close the store through the weekend. Regardless, an Amherst spokesperson says the store didn't make enough profits to support itself, so Amherst couldn't keep it open.

Spokesperson: "In the receivership, we're required to fund all operations through our own cash that we generate from sales, and because of the low level of sales in the Haslett store, we're not able to support that store as a stand-alone entity."

But the reasoning offers little solace to longtime shoppers.

Preeti Gadola, shopper: "We would stop here all the time to pick up milk and fruit, it was just so convenient, you would always see other people from Haslett, your friends, people in the community, it's just very sad to see them go."

But for now shoppers will have to look elsewhere to get their groceries, because the Haslett staple is no longer an option. The Amherst spokesman says there are 15 interested buyers for the three remaining L&L stores. Those are in Lansing, East Lansing and Okemos. Bids for those stores are due on January 28th. Amherst hopes to auction them off by the first or second of February.