Rob’s Market back in business

BY STACI WILSON

A Rob’s Market employee called his boss at about3 a.m., Sept. 8, warning him that the water in the Hallstead -Great Bendplaza area was rising.

“We knew we were in for it,” Rob Robinson, owner of the town’s only grocery store.

But he said, the decision to come back was an easy one.

“The community needs a grocery store and we want to be here for them,” Robinson said.

Rob’s Market reopened for customers on Monday, Oct. 10 – one month to the day from when employees were first able to get into the building to assess the damage after the flooding.

Robinson said, “We took a lot of extra precautions and were able to save a lot of equipment.”

A lesson learned after the store was flooded in June 2006.

Some items, like bagged dog and cat food that created a mess in 2006, were moved out of the store.

Robinson said that in the past week he has gotten a lot of hugs and well wishes from customers happy to have him back in business.

And the market has been put back exactly as it was, Robinson said. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

To that end, most of the 75 Rob’s Market employees also returned. Of those positions, 26 are full-time employees.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to be back,” Robinson said, “to get back into a routine.”

The flood hit just over a week after Robinson officially sold the Montrose ShurSave Market to Ray Petty.

“Selling to Ray worked out great,” Robinson said. “I was able to focus 100 percent of my efforts here instead of on the two stores. Things work out for a reason.”