HUNTINGTON TWP. — More than three years after the lone grocery store in the Shickshinny area closed, a Dollar General Market offering fresh produce, meats and an expanded variety of grocery items has opened along Route 239 in Huntington Twp.
The new DG Market opened last Wednesday several miles from the intersection with U.S. Route 11 next to the Sudsarific Car Wash and near the Huntington Valley Fire and EMS headquarters.
Since Thomas’ Foodtown Market in Shickshinny closed in October 2022, the closest grocery stores for people in this region were located in Nanticoke, Berwick and Benton, all more than 10 miles away.
“We like it. We live two miles down the road. When we are out of stuff, we will just run here,” said Pamela Recene, 67, while shopping with her mother, Barbara Recene, 85. “We can’t believe there is so much variety. Our community needed this.”
DG Market stores offer expanded fresh food, dairy and frozen options than traditional Dollar General stores and are often located in rural areas that are a long distance from supermarkets.
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A new Dollar General Market offering fresh produce, meats and other groceries opened last week on Route 239 in Huntington Twp. several miles from the intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Shickshinny. (Bob Kalinowski / Staff Photographer)
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A new Dollar General Market offering fresh produce, meats and other groceries opened last week on Route 239 in Huntington Twp. several miles from the intersection with U.S. Route 11 in Shickshinny. (Bob Kalinowski / Staff Photographer)
The meat section at the Huntington Twp. store includes steaks, ground beef, pork chops, and chicken breasts, tenders, drumsticks and thighs, along with other packaged meats. The produce section includes everything from bananas and watermelons to celery and onions.
Pamela Recene said she and her mother bought ground beef and celery for a meal they were making for church members at the Sunshine Full Gospel Church down the road. They also bought bananas.
Since Thomas’ closed three years ago, the Recenes have mostly relied on Instacart food deliveries for groceries rather than drive long distances to shop. They plan to be regulars at the DG Market because they frequently cook for church members.
“This is wonderful,” Barbara Recene said.
Dollar General has more than 20,700 stores in the United States, including 20 in Luzerne County. A small fraction of the stores are DG Markets with fresh meats.
Debbie Yarnell, 66, who lives nearby, said the new store has been convenient. The other day she stopped by to pick up bananas and on Tuesday she visited to pick up some household items.
The nearest grocery store to her house is in Benton, she said.
“This is helpful. It’s a lot closer than Benton. It’s convenient,” Yarnell said. “They said it was going to open for a long time and everyone was anticipating it.”
