FiveStar Foodmart is coming to Russellville. The Bardstown-based company completed purchase of the property between Bethel and Blakey streets on West Fourth Street Thursday, according to Phil Gregory, one of the sellers.
Gregory and his wife Janie owned the building on the corner across Bethel Street from Farmers’ Hardware. Among its previous uses have been Gregory Specialized Transportation and, most recently, the Blossom Shop. Mary Lynn Milam, who was renting from the Gregorys, had already moved the Blossom Shop to Logan Place shopping center across from Russellville High School.
Also involved in the transaction was Pat Taylor, who owns Shaker Realty & Auction and some land on the Third Street side of the property. Her dad, John Turner, has also maintained the office for his investment company there.
The third sale was of the Swifty gas company location, commonly known as ‘Swifty’s.” The station was long known for having lower gas prices than many of its competitors and for being available to pump gas for customers who wanted it done. As soon as the sale was complete, Swifty's closed Thursday and the gas pumps made cordoned off to customers. WHAS-TV had reported in mid-September that five Louisville Swifty’s stations were closed the same day without warning. Swifty gas is headquartered in Seymour, Ind.
FiveStar has over 70 locations, including 14 in the Louisville area, according to the company’s website. Additionally, nine in Paducah, eight in the Elizabethtown/Fort Knox area, and three each in Bardstown, Benton/Calvert City, Columbia, Frankfort and Glasgow.
The closest sites to Russellville in addition to Glasgow are Cave City, Edmonton and Tompkinsville. Having a location in Russellville, which is located on a major four-lane highway joining the I-65 and I-24 corridors, appears to be a natural.
The newly acquired FiveStar property is directly across the street from another major chain, Walgreens. It is also near the Logan County Justice Center, the magnificent new branch of First Southern National Bank, and Bethel Shopping Center, which is anchored by Piggly Wiggly and Walden Tire.
FirstStar locations have multiple gas pumps and a large eating area known as the “Country Deli.”
The website proclaims, “At FiveStar, we take pride in providing excellent customer service and quality products. From the fuel we sell to the fresh food we prepare daily in our Country Deli, we strive to provide the best for our customers. With over 70 locations in Kentucky and Indiana, FiveStar is ready to greet you with fast friendly service. Our commitment to providing the cleanest restrooms in the most convenient locations, make us a leader in our industry. Come in and see all we have to offer and you’ll get the FiveStar treatment, every time!”
FiveStar is also affiliated with Newcomb Oil Company.
The transaction comes less than a week after Price Less IGA opened a branch of its discount grocery chain in the Logan Square shopping center next to Dollar General Market. Price Less, which is part of Houchens Industries, has hired a large number of Logan Countians, and FiveStar is also expected to provide employment for many when it opens.
Phil Gregory said he was not told when construction would begin nor an anticipated opening date.
The LoJo
Park City Daily News business editor Robyn Minor reported Nov. 18 that Ohio-based Travel Centers of America will purchase the 31 Minit Marts owned by founder Fred Higgins for $67 million.
One of those Minit Marts is located on Auburn’s Main Street and is the hub of commerce in Auburn. Travel Centers are located in 42 states and the company already has about 11,000 employees, Minor reported. Previously Minit Mart also had a store in Lewisburg and two in Russellville, but they were sold to other companies several years ago.