After 50 years of business, the Fas-Chek grocery store on Charleston's West Side is closing its doors.
The small store has been selling groceries and other consumer items in its store at prices 40 percent off, to prepare for the store's closure, possibly as soon as today.
Don Tate, owner of the Fas-Chek chain, said the closure of the store is a result of over-competition in the West Side. With Kroger, Dollar General, Dollar Tree, Rite Aid and Walgreens stores in the area selling food and other grocery items, Tate said it was too tough to keep the store operating in that location.
While there are other grocery stores near the West Side, including a Save-A-Lot, which Tate also owns, the closure of the Fas-Chek marks the end of an era in some ways. Tate said all the employees at the Fas-Chek location would be rehired at the Save-A-Lot store on Virginia Street West.
Tate, who started the Fas-Chek chain in 1965 after previously working as a manager at a Kroger store, said the West Side store was the first store of its kind in the area, offering 24-hour service.
Unlike now, when shoppers expect stores to be open constantly, Tate said it was not a normal business practice in the 1960s and early '70s to keep a grocery store open all night. At that time, Tate said, Kroger locations only operated until 9 p.m. two nights a week.
For decades, Tate said, his stores took advantage of the 24-hour service and by putting an emphasis on a quality deli department. The Fas-Chek stores, he said, also benefited from state laws around that time that opened up the sale of alcohol in stores.
The closure of the West Side location, Tate said, isn't representative of his remaining Fas-Chek locations. He said the stores in Kanawha City, Campbells Creek, Marlinton and Pineville are all still open.
Reach Andrew Brown at andrew.brown@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4814 or follow @Andy_Ed_Brown on Twitter.