To call Tuesday’s news that Brookshires Grocery Company will be closing its Spring Market grocery store in Grambling a blow is actually an understatement.
For city residents, it felt like more of a punch straight to the stomach. A “sucker punch” at that, with no warning whatsoever that it was coming until after the fact.
There’s no mistaking what the grocery store means to Grambling.
Having a grocery store in a small city helps generate economic resilience by keeping tax dollars local, boosting surrounding residential property values, and acting as a commercial anchor that draws consistent foot traffic to the area.
That foot traffic includes many Grambling State University students who don’t have vehicles or the ability to travel to Ruston to buy groceries.
And that foot traffic was expected to increase sooner than later once a $4 million plaza located near Legends Square, where Grambling’s Spring Market, is completed.
When announced, it was said that plaza will include a barbershop, a beauty shop, a barbecue dining establishment, a drive-through/pick-up daiquiri shop, office space and something labeled on floor plans as “Golf Experience.”
Spring Market was almost a centerpiece for all the new growth going in Grambling.
Now suddenly that centerpiece is going to disappear, at least for now.
And that is truly a shame.
I know it makes me sad. Spring Market’s $5 food plates have often served as lunch for me to eat at my office on the GSU campus. And it’s been pretty good food, too.
A press release issued by BGC said that an evaluation of store performance, market conditions and long-term sustainability was the basis for the decision to close the store.
The number of cars often at the store makes that hard to understand. No, it didn’t have the level of cars parked out front or patrons inside as Brookshires’ Super 1 location in Ruston does, but that isn’t surprising based on the locations and the number of nearby residents living near each establishment.
But there were certainly no outward signs that it was failing.
In fact, the store drew customers from well beyond Grambling, including many from the Simsboro area, based on comments posted on social media over the past several days.
The Spring Market also fostered personal relationships and a tight-knit “hometown” feel that bigger, impersonal supermarkets often lack. According to the Center for Rural Affairs, an important aspect of rural grocery stores is their ability to preserve rural identities, saying that people want to live where there is a sense of community where stores may act as a social hub for residents and serve up lunches at a deli counter to bring people together.
Grambling isn’t alone in feeling frustrated, however. It’s become a nationwide issue in recent years. National grocery giant Kroger announced in June of 2025 an 18-month plan to shutter 60 stores — representing about 5% of the company’s network of over 1,200 Kroger-branded stores. That move came in the wake of the failed merger with Albertsons.
And at least a dozen Albertsons locations across five states and Washington, D.C., have been identified for closure in 2026.
The impending Grambling closure isn’t the only one affecting north Louisiana cities — BGC is also closing stores in Rayville and Winnfield.
When grocery stores abruptly close, abandoned infrastructure—like refrigerators, freezers, and utility hookups—often deteriorates rapidly.
But the fact is, major retail giants are pruning underperforming locations to optimize their profitability. Supermarkets are dealing with escalating expenses in labor, food, and logistics, along with the impact of recent tariff-related price hikes.
This time it was Grambling’s turn.
During Thursday’s City Council meeting, Mayor Alvin Bradley issued a statement saying that the city is already working to find a replacement grocer, saying the the city is prepared to discuss tax incentives, expedited permitting and public-private ownership should a convoluted situation (the city is involved in litigation with Oscar Davis, owner of the building) get resolved.
Bradley said that a new store owner could build from the ground up or try to work out a deal with Davis. He also said he personally has already talked with one grocery chain which has shown interest.
Grambling’s Spring Market opened on Oct. 28, 2020, after the building was purchased and renovated by Brookshire’s Corporation. It was known as Legends Market when it first opened in June of 2018 and operated until mid-2020 before Brookshire’s stepped in to take over the building.
The city had been without a grocery store since 1983 when what was then Legend’s Market opened.
Now city officials and residents alike can only hope that somehow another savior chain will step in and take over the building and bring a grocery store back to Grambling.
The city and its residents deserve that — to be lifted off the mat and put back on their feet after being metaphorically knocked down by the news of the upcoming Spring Market closure so they can see the continuing progress the city is making.
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