Mount Airy Southern States to close after 91 years serving the community
The longtime agricultural cooperative is preparing to close after years of declining business, changing development patterns and increased competition.
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW
Southern States Mount Airy has operated for 91 years. The store opened in 1935 and moved to South Main Street in 1996. Board members say years of losses and declining customer traffic led to the decision. Competition, COVID-19 and less agricultural activity in the area were cited as factors. The store may close to regular customers around Oct. 31. A final Santa event is scheduled for Dec. 5.
A longtime Mount Airy business that has served generations of farmers, gardeners and families is preparing to close its doors.
Southern States Mount Airy Cooperative announced that its South Main Street store will close after 91 years in business. The cooperative first opened on Hill Street in 1935 and moved to its current South Main Street location in 1996.
Board member Samuel Tressler III said he expects the store to close to regular customers around Oct. 31, although an exact final date has not been set. The cooperative’s six directors unanimously decided about six months ago that the business should close after several years of financial losses and declining customer traffic.
Store leaders tried several approaches to keep the location operating. Tressler said the cooperative sold its former Center Street property and used proceeds to help support the current location, and the store also introduced a new equipment brand. Those efforts were not enough to reverse the losses.
Tressler pointed to several factors, including competition, the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the region’s gradual shift away from agriculture as farmland has been replaced by residential development.
That change is something longtime customers have noticed as well. Bob and Eileen Stoner have shopped at Southern States for 26 years, buying garden plants, seeds and canning supplies. Eileen Stoner said the area had far more farmland when they moved there in 2000 and has become increasingly residential.
Monrovia resident Julie Kunz, another regular customer, said she and her daughter enjoy visiting for plants, bird food and other items and was disappointed to learn the store is closing.
After regular operations end, store leaders are expected to evaluate remaining inventory and may hold an auction. The location will also return for one final community tradition: its annual Christmas photos with Santa event is scheduled for Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the store is collecting items for Toys for Tots.
WHAT IT MEANS
The closure marks the loss of more than just another retail store. Southern States has been tied to Mount Airy’s agricultural identity for generations, and its closing reflects both economic pressures on small local businesses and the broader transformation of farmland into residential development.
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