GASSAWAY, W.Va. (WCHS) -- Community protests and union demonstrations have failed to save a Braxton County grocery store.

Gassaway's Kroger is one of 60 locations across the county slated for closing over the next 18 months as the company streamlines its operations and shifts emphasis to higher-performing outlets.

On Friday, the deli was the only part of the Gassaway Kroger still operating as the grocery store prepared to close its doors permanently. The store had opened in 1979.

Kroger is pulling the plug underperforming stores as it faces stiff competition from Walmart and others. The community, along with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union had managed to fight off a 2023 effort to close the store after several years of what the company described as " poor performance and profitability."

Workers impacted, including Doug Hamrick, who has worked at Braxton County grocery store for more than 40 years, have the opportunity to transfer to other locations. It appears many full-timers have done just that.

"We appreciate the community, the outpouring, the calls they made and the e-mails they sent," Hamrick said. "We appreciate every bit of that."

Full-time employees were able to transfer here to the Elkview store, about 50 miles from Gassaway. That commute was too far to make the transfer practical for some part-time employees.

"I'm pretty well ready to go to Elkview," Hamrick said. "The last week we've had very little to do. Time passes really slow."

While the area is not a complete food desert with a Walmart in Flatwoods, some customers did not want to see Kroger shutter.

"Kroger is supposed to be hometown and they're not considering the hometown," customer Scott Vaughan said.