Blondie’s reopens

Last Saturday, Blondie’s convenience store and eatery reopened after a fire that shut it down for two months.
For many people who live in Grand Ridge, it was more than just a store reopening — it was a vital community member coming back to life.
Some people think of Blondie’s as the epicenter of Grand Ridge. For years, the store on busy U.S. Highway 90 has been a key component of daily life in the a town without a significant business corridor.
It was, and now is again, a place where local folks socialize and pick up the hot news of the day along with their breakfast, lunch, fuel and sundries.
The community scrambled to adjust after the fire, and one of Blondie’s principal players was there to lend a hand.
Blondie’s chief cook Pam Barnes opened up a temporary donations-only breakfast and lunch room in an outbuilding next door, where Blondie’s normally kept fresh vegetables for sale.
And Barnes’ regulars flocked there every morning for fellowship and the full breakfasts and lunches that she prepared. The donations kept her solvent for the 60 days she was out of work at Blondie’s.
In all, 12 workers were temporarily sidelined. Most got by on unemployment compensation until the store re-opened.
Manager Michelle Neel said all but two returned when that much-anticipated day arrived.
Neel said they all pitched in as volunteers along the way to get the store ready for re-opening.
Barnes and the rest of the kitchen crew — Krysta Dean, Demetrius Richards, Kayla Sheffield and Latasha Sims — popped in to help with clean-up, along with maintenance man Jeremiah Huggins and cashiers Betty Sheffield and April Walden. Even the newest employee, Debbie Forbes, who had started only about a week before the fire, showed up to help.
Many friends of the business also offered their help.
Neel said she was not at all surprised the sidelined employees and the community at large reached out.
“It’s a small town, it’s Grand Ridge, and the community comes together in a situation like this,” Neel said.
The old customers who haven’t yet realized that its back in business may get a few pleasant surprises when they return.
The dining room has been expanded, with a new stainless-steel kitchen that Barnes is thrilled with, Neel said.
A new and smaller counter anchors the front of the store, allowing clerks a better view and more room for customers to navigate.
Neel said she’ll also soon be adding something special for the kids — three arcade games will be on the way soon, she said.
A new movie video rental section is also in the works, she said.
The store’s hours won’t change from the old schedule. The doors still open at 5 a.m on Sundays and close at 10 p.m. The Friday-Saturday schedule is still 4 a.m. until 11 p.m., and Monday through Thursday is 4 a.m. until 10 p.m.
The cause of the fire, Neel said, is believed to be a freezer malfunction.