On a fine spring day in early April, the Letcher County town of Isom celebrated an almost-miraculous grand reopening eight months after the devastating floods of July 2022. Those gathered for the event honored the entrepreneurship and compassion embodied in Isom IGA owner Gwen Christon and recognized the store as the community hub in the area. The store reopening did not signal the end of the disaster recovery, but it was an important sign of hope and the return of normalcy for the people of eastern Kentucky.
The pastor of Letcher Independent Baptist Church, Rev. Bill Jones, opened the ceremony with prayer. Gwen shared that Rev. Jones has been a rock for her family in this challenging time, despite the fact that their church building was lost in the flood. She said her family’s faith and their church community got them through this tough time.
John Ross, president and CEO of IGA, spoke at the event about the importance of locally owned grocery stores. “The Christons are a case study for what small business owners should be: smart, hard-working, talented and charitable,” he said. “They are doing it for the right reasons and investing in their community.”
The IGA store is located at a key intersection in the county. It stands as an important resource in a potential food desert and as a gathering place for the community. It is the largest private employer in town, with a staff of 32. When the store was inundated with 6 feet of water and mud last July, it was a painful loss not just for the Christon family.
“The response moved me,” said Arthur Christon, Gwen’s husband. “People who lost everything asked what they could do to help us. One thing they kept saying was, ‘Please reopen the store.’ ”
Reopening was not a foregone conclusion. The inventory, shelving and coolers were a total loss, and the building needed extensive renovation. It felt daunting if not impossible. As Gwen began the arduous task of cleaning everything, she realized she could not do it alone. She asked for help. And help came.
Gwen’s first call was to Alan Atwood of MDI, Isom IGA’s wholesale warehouse supplier. He was there the next day, with literal boots (and shovels) on the ground, and helped solicit donations for the rebuilding process. In the coming weeks, Gwen’s story went around the world—through social media, grocery news outlets, and national television and radio. Support came from a preacher in Lexington, other IGA stores, grants and everyday folks nationwide.
“It is an honor and a privilege to work with this family, as they are good people and good grocers,” Atwood said. “It has been a challenging eight months for Gwen, but once she decided to reopen, she stared adversity in the face and didn’t blink.”
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Gwen began working at Isom IGA soon after the store opened in 1973 and purchased it from the previous owners 25 years ago. The grocery business has notoriously tight profit margins, and Gwen’s business savvy, learned on the job, made the store a success. In February, she was recognized as the Woman of the Year by the Women Grocers of America. According to the National Grocers Association website, the award is given annually to a female store owner who shows strong leadership, a passion for the grocery industry, and a commitment to her community.
Gwen downplayed the recognition. “I don’t feel special,” she said. “Anyone who got flooded would do the same thing.”
Simon Christon, Gwen and Arthur’s son, has become an indispensable part of the business in the last couple of years. He smiles when he shares the first place his mother brought him from the hospital after he was born: the Isom IGA. There, friends and neighbors passed the little bundle around as they sat in the deli seating.
As Simon grew up, went to college, and earned his MBA, he wasn’t sure if he would go into the grocery business. In 2020, he had a new job in health care all lined up as he looked to spread his wings beyond the family business. Then the pandemic hit, his job fell through, and he took on the responsibility of pivoting the store to offer pick-up service. He has been there ever since.
“I fell in love with it,” he said. “I asked the Lord about my future and realized I love the community and want to carry on the family tradition.”
This family tradition is a vital part of the community. Even while closed, the store served as a community center. Hot meals and food boxes were distributed from the parking lot, and the store’s Facebook page shared resources on preventing mold in flooded structures and accessing emergency grants for artists.
The Christon family brings something special to their business. A community ethos, forged by their Christian faith and their mountain home, permeates the store. When Gwen says everyone who shops there is family, she means it. Her warm welcome and genuine desire to serve are a big part of what brings people back to Isom IGA to shop regularly.
Whether through careful training or contagion, she has transmitted that spirit to her staff. Her employees faithfully came back to work in the reopened store. Michelle Maggard has worked there for 11 years and is in charge of the freezer section. In a conversation at the reopening, she emanated pride in her work and a conviction that the store is special.
“At Isom IGA, there is love in it. We like to make it look good. Everyone is greeted here, and our people don’t mind to help,” Maggard said. “The Christon family is amazing. Gwen is always there for us. She is the community.”
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The new iteration of the store is bright and welcoming. The design engineer at MDI helped the owners lay out the store in a common-sense way, with chocolate-chip cookies beside the milk refrigerator and orange juice placed at the end of the coffee and cereal aisle.
As Simon steps more fully into a leadership role at the store, he is bringing to fruition some new plans. A community room is under construction, where people will be able to hold meetings, celebrations and other gatherings that will be catered by the store. He plans to spotlight local artists and entrepreneurs to bolster the entire business community. One of the first was Seven North, the company that created the Isom IGA polo shirts for the grand reopening.
Gwen told the members of her community at the celebration that they are the most important thing inside the building, and the renovated store incorporates them in a beautiful way. Images of local people and places hang on the upper walls between the usual grocery banners announcing “Produce” and “Deli.” They are by Kentucky photographer Malcolm Wilson, who started the Humans of Central Appalachia Facebook page with his late wife. The Christons selected the featured pictures from his repository of more than 20,000 photos from all over the region.
The front of the store has a “Wall of Values,” which holds the weekly specials. The photo selected for this wall is of Arthur, Gwen, Simon and Simon’s wife, Cheyenne, in their matching Isom IGA shirts. The play on words may or may not have been intentional. Regardless, the family’s values of humility, commitment and compassion make the Isom IGA a vital and thriving part of the community.