Whatever the damage to Grocery Clearance Center after a fire early on the morning of Saturday, Aug. 21, owner Gary Gluckman is determined to reopen.
The scope of damage to the building on Cockrell Hill at Kiest has not yet been determined. Gluckman was waiting for a structural engineer’s report when we spoke Friday.
“But we are reopening for certain,” he says. “We are coming back. We don’t know the scope of the damages, but we’re coming back bigger and better than we were. We have to.”
Gluckman first opened the TJ Maxx of grocery stores on Tyler Street in 1992, when he was about 25 years old. He’s 54 now.
“It’s been a long time, and so many of my customers are friends,” he says. “I know them personally.”
The store, which sells close-dated foods purchased from major grocers, was just getting ready for a big weekend after Gluckman’s Friday afternoon Instagram post showcasing half-price T-bone steaks and other goodies from the store’s walk-in cooler.
The fire started the next morning, and many customers arrived around opening time to find the aftermath.
In 29 years, the store has never been closed for more than one day in a row, except for icy conditions.
Gluckman says the outpouring of love and support since the fire “has been unbelievable.”
“To most people, we helped them get through the month,” he says.
Gluckman is heartbroken and says he feels bad for customers who rely on the Grocery Clearance Center for affordability, especially those whose kids have dietary restrictions.
Customers began leaving Gluckman messages on stickie notes after the fire, and an employee brought poster board and sharpies so that people can leave messages.
To Gluckman, the messages are a reminder that “there are far worse things. This is all replaceable.”
He says he plans to have them framed and hung up in his new store.
