Hoxworth purchase keeps iconic Killbuck market in same location

Greg Glassford was hoping that in some way, somehow, his P&G IGA in Killbuck might find a new owner who wanted to continue the local grocery store. He got his wish when Dave and Teresa Hoxworth purchased the store recently with plans on continuing the market, albeit with some upgrades and a few new additions.

“I’ve been here 48 years,” Glassford said of the store he began working in at the age of 13. “I was excited to see the store continue to serve the community in the same capacity. I think it’s a big part of the Killbuck area.”

Under new ownership, the store will change its name to Killbuck Valley Market. While Glassford sold the business, he will remain on board to manage the store and run the meat deli department, something Dave Hoxworth said will be a main focal point of the refurbished grocery store.

“When Dave expressed an interest in buying the store, he said he wouldn’t do it unless I stayed on to manage,” Glassford said. “I really wanted to stay, but I wasn’t sure I’d get that opportunity. It turned out they wouldn’t buy it unless I did stay.”

In fact all of the current employees have opted to remain on board at the store, which Hoxworth said will aid in the transition, and the goal is to reopen the store in early-to-mid April.

The Hoxworths officially purchased the store in early March, and Dave Hoxworth said they felt a drive to purchase the store so it would continue to serve the Killbuck community.

“We were excited about the idea of keeping this here for the community’s sake,” Hoxworth said. “Keeping the shelves stocked and offering good product is important to have in our community.”

Making a number of updates including design, coolers and the meat deli are all priorities.

Hoxworth said the plan moving forward is to add more bulk foods while maintaining dairy, produce and other sundry goods. He said one of the main focal points will be the meat and deli counter, which he said they are revamping into something they hope is special.

“We are redesigning it to look like an old butcher counter,” Hoxworth said. “That could well be our niche. Most of our beef will be purchased locally and will come in with a side of beef in three large pieces that we can cut down. It’s a bit nostalgic.”

The owner of A to Z Appliance and Refrigeration, Hoxworth has made a large number of contacts with restaurants and businesses that deal in meats, so he has a foot in the door when it comes to making connections to build up the meat-delivery department of the store.

“I want to get into aging rib-eye, which will be great for local restaurants, and we will try to buy meat locally so that it is as fresh as possible,” Hoxworth said. “We will have some boxed meats because you can’t do it all with carcasses, but we will do our best to keep things local as much as possible. With the contacts I’ve made so far, it looks pretty promising in supplying some restaurants with some prime cuts.”

Hoxworth said they will purchase beef from Holmes and Ashland counties.

Hoxworth said he also will contact the health department to explore the possibility of putting a smoker outside the store, where he can smoke meats to add to the mix. He said he also would like to eventually be able to cook fresh breakfast food periodically and that fresh pulled pork and pulled-pork sandwiches will be available.

“It’s going to be a gradual process, and we continue to piece things together and get ready to reopen, and obviously that is our biggest goal right now,” Hoxworth said. “The breakfast idea would be like steak and eggs, something different that we would do once a month or so.”

One of the big additions will be a café-style dining area in the southwest corner of the store. Local artist Rusty Baker is designing and painting murals on the two walls surrounding the dining area to add some ambiance with a local flavor.

Like Glassford, Baker started working at the Killbuck P&G IGA at a very young age, cleaning up, wiping off canned goods, stocking shelves and doing whatever was asked of him.

“Greg and I worked here together when we were young, and my heart is in this place,” Baker said. “We can certainly share some interesting stories from this place.”

Baker said when he designed the wall mural that will serve as a background for the café area, he wanted to feature some of the ruins of Killbuck, as well as three former owners: first Harry Grenert, followed by Ronnie Landon and finally Glassford.

The design will feature a crumbling Greek structure on one wall and a brick façade on the other.

“It’s been a fun trip down memory lane working on this project,” said Baker, who is rarely around Holmes County because he paints world-wide.

Hoxworth said this is not something they had envisioned in their lives prior to discussing the purchase as an option. However, the opportunity was there, and they felt the community deserved to have a store and knew they had a strong manager and staff already in place.

“We’ll see what happens,” Hoxworth said. “We’ve heard some really great feedback. They almost lost the store, so I am hoping everyone realizes what they have here in this market. We had heard that someone wanted to make it into a warehouse, which would have been a detriment to Killbuck. Our hope is that we will create something that is unique and valuable in the Killbuck area.”