THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9502280109
SECTION: NORFOLK COMPASS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SCOTT McCASKEY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines
For more than 20 years, it was a successful grocery store, a convenient stop where the employees knew many customers by name.
But on Feb. 18, the Be-Lo at 7734 Hampton Blvd. closed its doors, and the end came as a surprise to loyal patrons.
``I was shocked when I heard Be-Lo closed,'' said Anne Curtis, an Edgewater resident and regular shopper. ``It was like a neighborhood landmark. It was quick, and the prices were reasonable. Everyone knew you, and you never had to show an ID to write a check.''
``I was just floored when I saw it had closed,'' said Mary Hubard, a resident of nearby Loch Haven. ``It was so convenient, and everyone was so nice.''
The closure resulted from a lack of business, said Bert Harrell, part-owner of the family business.
``It's due to increased competition and a shrinking military,'' Harrell said. ``Food Lion and the expansion of the commissary did hurt us.''
Although not as large as some other supermarkets, Be-Lo's user-friendly size was part of the store's appeal.
``The store filled a niche,'' Harrell said. ``Good customer service and an easier, quicker place to shop is what made us popular.''
The clientele was a mix of local residents and military personnel. For Harvey Bilisoly, who lives in Edgewater and grew up in Loch Haven, the store was the local market.
``I was a stockboy there - it was my first job,'' Bilisoly said. ``There aren't any more good corner markets. There, you didn't have to look for a parking space for an hour. You could get what you wanted and go.''
Beef quality was another major drawing card for shoppers.
``They had the best ground beef in town,'' Curtis noted. ``That's going to be hard to replace.''
Harrell said the company's meat-buying department always had been excellent.
The site was one of the supermarket chain's 30 stores in Virginia and North Carolina. The company is owned by Harrell and Harrell Inc., which also has an interest in Camelia Food Stores Inc., Be-Lo's parent company. Harrell said that the recent closing of a Camellia distribution warehouse in the Norfolk Industrial Park was not related to the store's closing. He does not anticipate the shutting down of any more of the chain's locations.
One former patron was not surprised to see the supermarket close.
``The product and the clientele had been going downhill for a while,'' the man insisted. ``Food Lion is a much nicer store. I'm surprised Be-Lo stayed open as long as it did.''
Harrell countered ``that the quality hadn't gone down at all. If anything, the store had been upgraded recently.''
The company is relocating some of the store's employees to other Be-Lo stores. Harrell said that the property owner lives out of town, and the site's future is uncertain.
The loss of Be-Lo follows the closing of Bazemore's Friendly Market at 6412 Hampton Blvd. Though the sign says, `Closed For Inventory,' the site has been out of operation for several months. The owners could not be reached for comment about the store's status.
A Larchmont resident said she felt the closings are just another sign of the times: ``First Bazemore's, now Be-Lo. I guess all the big places are going to eat up the smaller places. It's a shame.'' by CNB