Nearly a month after a fire destroyed Spencer’s sole grocery store, a putrid smell hangs in the air around the rubble and shopping carts are scattered throughout the wreckage of the former Shurfine Food Mart. It’s a stark reminder of what once stood at the heart of the small Tioga County village.
As the area continues to grapple with the loss of a longtime community staple, residents and local organizations are working to address its far-reaching impacts, from access to fresh groceries to support for the store’s nearly two dozen displaced employees.
For Spencer resident Brianna Newton, losing the Shurfine — known locally as the Big M — was an “absolute gut punch.”…