EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — Residents expecting to shop at a Save A Lot in the Metro East were turned away on Friday.
Tashema Dixon would frequently walk to the store on Vieux Carre Drive in East St. Louis that is now shuttered with closed signs and "Thank you for your business."
The mother and her kids had to catch the bus on Friday.
“It was very convenient for me and my family. Mostly things in the store. I mean hey .. we need it. I know the community you know,” Dixon said.
Gabriel Calixtom, a community organizer who works across the street from the store said he would often stop there for a quick and affordable lunch.
“We're one store less for a neighborhood more than anything. People that rely on public transportation, this was a convenient center for them to walk to.”
The Save A Lot is the second closure in weeks in the Metro East. A Walmart in Cahokia Heights closed in early April.
It is the reason why organizations like Catholic Urban Programs across the street from Save A Lot continue to lend a hand.
“We're celebrating our 50 years right now. We are about preserving the human dignity of the person in poverty,” said Tritobia Jones, an interim senior program director.
One of those ways is through the things on their shelves, including poultry, produce, and things that people need to be healthy.
Jones made clear that they were not a pantry but a “food hub” where families through need-based membership could come and shop.
She added that the organization was working on getting transportation to get families to the nearest option to shop.
"If we want the next generation to be better than the generation before. We need people to be healthy. We need people to have resources. We need people to thrive," Jones said.
A spokesperson for the store stated the independent owner made the decision to close the store. Any remaining items were donated to local charities and nearby churches
The nearest Save A Lot location is five miles away at 2600 State Street.