Shoals’ Grocery Store Closes, Leaving a Food Desert as Vape Shops and Gas Stations Take Over
By Mr. News, LawCo.News
June 30, 2025
SHOALS, Ind. — The small town of Shoals is reeling from the news that its only grocery store, JayC Food Store, will shut its doors for good on July 31, 2025. The closure, initially reported by WBIW , leaves residents without a local source for fresh food, turning Shoals into a food desert. Meanwhile, vape shops and gas stations—often selling drug paraphernalia and junk food—are popping up, raising tough questions about what this means for the town’s future.
JayC, located at 201 High St., has been a lifeline for Shoals, offering everything from fresh veggies to meat. It’s a place where folks could grab dinner ingredients or chat with neighbors. But Kroger, JayC’s parent company, says it’s closing 60 stores nationwide, and Shoals is on the list. Now, locals will have to drive 10 minutes to Loogootee for a full-service grocery. For seniors, low-income families, or anyone without a car, that’s a big hurdle. The town’s Dollar General sells some food, but it’s mostly chips and canned goods—not the fresh stuff families need.
“It’s hard to believe we’re losing our grocery store,” said Mary Thompson, a Shoals mom of three. “We need fresh food for our kids, but now it’s vape pens and junk food on every corner. It’s not right.”
Here’s the kicker: as Shoals loses its grocery store, businesses like vape shops and gas stations, often owned by out-of-town folks, are moving in. These places sell things like synthetic marijuana gear, sugary snacks, and soda—stuff that’s bad for your health. It’s a bitter irony. While healthy food gets harder to find, shops pushing vice are thriving. And it’s not just Shoals—rural towns across America are seeing the same trend.
But is this just about money, or are people’s tastes changing? Are folks in Shoals—and places like it—starting to care more about quick fixes like vaping or cheap snacks than the stability of a good meal at home? Could this shift be tied to bigger problems, like the rise in single-parent families and drug overdoses hitting rural areas hard?
The numbers tell a grim story. In the U.S., about 15 million kids live with a single mom and 3 million with a single dad, up from just 9% in the 1960s, according to Statista and Pew Research. In rural spots like Shoals, single-parent families often struggle with money, making it tougher to shop for healthy food. On top of that, drug overdoses are spiking. Indiana saw 2,682 overdose deaths in 2022, with a rate of 41 per 100,000 people—higher than the national average, per state health data. Fentanyl, a deadly drug, was involved in two-thirds of those cases. Rural areas aren’t far behind cities, with overdose rates at 26.2 per 100,000 in 2020, says the CDC.
These struggles might explain why businesses selling quick, unhealthy options are doing better than grocery stores. But it’s a vicious cycle—less access to good food and more access to drugs and junk could make things worse.
The closure hits Shoals at a tough time. The town’s gearing up for its 40th Annual Catfish Festival from July 3 to 6, 2025, a big event full of food and fun. But soon, festivals might be the only place to find decent meals locally. JayC’s spot near the town hall and post office made it a hub for downtown, and its loss could hurt other small businesses, too.
Kroger says closing stores like JayC is about “streamlining” to focus on customers, but that’s cold comfort for Shoals. Town leaders are scrambling to find a new grocery store, but it’s not easy in a small market. Meanwhile, vape shops and gas stations keep opening, offering little to help the community thrive.
“We can’t let these places define us,” said a town official who wished to remain anonymous. “Losing our grocery store is a wake-up call. We’ve got to fight for our town’s future.”
So, what’s going on in Shoals? Is the rise of vape shops and gas stations a sign that people are choosing vice over the old-school values of family dinners and healthy living? Or is it just big companies like Kroger pulling out, leaving room for whatever businesses can survive? With single-parent households and overdoses on the rise, the town’s facing hard times. The answer might be a mix of both—a community under pressure, trying to hold on to what it used to be while the world changes around it.
For now, Shoals residents are left planning trips to Loogootee for groceries, wondering how their town will stay strong without a store to call its own. One thing’s clear: if nothing changes, the food desert will grow, and so will the gap between what Shoals needs and what it’s got.