P&C StoreIn Ogdensburg Will Soon Become Another Vacant Building

OGDENSBURG - The shelves are full and there are no signs of closure posted outside, but the P&C grocery in Ogdensburg will soon become another vacant building in the Seaway Shopping Center.

Tops Friendly Markets announced Thursday it will close the Ogdensburg store April 10. A liquidation sale of food and store equipment will begin this weekend.

Katherine L. McKenna, a spokeswoman for Tops, said the decision to close was made based on the store's condition, location and competitiveness in the region.

"This has been a complex process, a complex transition. We want to make sure we're making the best business decisions," she said. "Each of the stores are really being looked at on an individual basis."

In January, Price Chopper purchased from Tops the P&C stores in Canton, Potsdam, Massena, Gouverneur and West Carthage. Those stores are expected to close in early April and reopen under the new brand in late May.

Tops retains ownership of stores in Ogdensburg, Lowville and Watertown. Miss McKenna said a decision regarding the Watertown and Lowville stores should be made within two weeks.

When contacted by telephone, two employees at Lowville P&C said they were not allowed to comment and referred any questions to the Tops spokeswoman.

Employees at the Ogdensburg store were notified of the closing Thursday morning.

"It's a shock," said Robert J. Messina, who has been an employee at the Ogdensburg store for 18 years.

He said he was not sure if he would be retained by Tops and has passed his resume to other groceries in the city.

In November, the store reported 20 full-time and 38 part-time employees. Tops management and the union will meet soon to discuss possible re-employment, Miss McKenna said.

Price Chopper, Aldi and Walmart will be the remaining grocery stores in the city when the P&C closes.

"It's really very sad news for us. Not only are these people unemployed, we're down a supermarket," Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Sandra M. Porter said. "I was hoping that someone would come in and buy that store and open it up. I'm surprised to hear it's happening so soon. I'm very disappointed."

City Manager Arthur J. Sciorra said the city is reaching out to Seaway Shopping Center landlord, Brookline Development Co., Syracuse, to see what it can do to help bring a business to the building.

"Basically we're just reaching out to (company owner William B. Yeomans Jr.) to indicate that the city is willing to help out in any way possible," he said. "I'm sure he doesn't want an empty store in there."

Johnson Newspapers reporter Susan Mende and Times staff writer Steve Virkler contributed to this report.