West end of Staunton to lose another business with Beverley Street Convenience closure

Laura Peters | Staunton News Leader

STAUNTON - Staunton's west end will lose yet another business, according to a post from Beverley Street Convenience.

The local favorite fried chicken food stop and convenience store on West Beverley Street in the west end announced Tuesday on its business Facebook page that it would close; all items were half-off.

"Going out of business!" The post said. "Come by and see us one last time."

The posted said the general merchandise was 50% off, along with other discounts in the store.

A set closure date has not been publicized. A post on the business' page said the business planed to play it by ear. The News Leader reached out to owner Gary Ingram, but he declined to comment.

"With everything we have going on, now is not a good time," he wrote to The News Leader.

The closing announcement came after a reported stabbing Sunday morning at the store. A man armed with a screwdriver attacked a 26-year-old Staunton man who was at the store, according to police.

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Ingram opened up Valley Smokehouse down the road from the convenience store in 2017.

Fans of the store took to the post to air their grievances on the announcement.

"This sucks!" Sue Ellen Lam posted.

"No, we love your store and the food," Tonya Hodge posted.

"I hate this for y'all and for Staunton," Ian Boden, owner of the Shack in Staunton, posted.

"But what about the chicken?" Dreama Anderson posted.

According to city records, Ingram purchased the property and building at 2103 W. Beverley St. in 2008. Its current accessed value is $174,400, according to city records.

Stores keep leaving

The announcement of Beverley Street Convenience closing continues a trend of businesses leaving that side of the city.

June marked the last month that the retailer Family Dollar was open at Chestnut Hills, which left the shopping center vacant. The only operating business is Stella Mia Pizzeria, a pizza and Italian restaurant next to the shopping center and not associated with the property.

Over the summer, Walgreens announced the Walgreens-owned Rite Aid on West Beverley Street in Staunton would close. The pharmacy’s last day of business was Aug. 12, according to a Walgreens spokesperson. The retail portion of the store remained open for about two weeks after the pharmacy closed for the final sale of all products. The entire store was fully closed by the end of August.

But is there hope for revival in the west end?

One thing that could help boost things in the west end is a program called Opportunity Zones.

The initiative offers tax incentives to investors in communities that could benefit from revitalization.

The zones and funds allows investors to receive tax benefits on currently "unrealized capital gains by investing those gains in qualified census tracts," called “Opportunity Zones."

Two census tracts in Staunton were accepted into the program. The tracts are now zones primarily in the west end stretching from the Central Business District westward along the Churchville Avenue, West Beverley Street and Middlebrook Avenue.

The Opportunity Zones program is designed to add incentives to a community that could benefit from revitalization, a release said. All of the incentives relate to the tax treatment of capital gains, and all are tied to the shelf life of an investor’s stake in a qualified Opportunity Fund, a release said. The most benefit comes from those who hold their investments 10 years or more, a release said.

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You can reach reporter Laura Peters at lpeters@newsleader.com. Follow her @peterslaura.