NITRO, WV (WOWK) – A popular grocery store in Nitro is set to reopen Monday after a fire burned it down in August 2022.

Nitro Supermarket is set to reopen on Monday under a new name, Cook’s Nitro Market.

When the supermarket closed due to the fire, it left the neighborhood without a supermarket.

Workers are putting the finishing touches on the store, conducting maintenance and stocking the shelves so the store will be ready to open on Monday. The store has also brought on new workers to help guide the rebuild and adjusted the interior layout. 

Evening assistant Kylie Johnson says they are putting the finishing touches on the store, but that it should be ready for the public by opening day. 

“This is the homestretch and it’s just trying to get all the I’s dotted and the T’s crossed and everything in line, and it’s a scramble trying to get it,” Johnson said. “So it’s a little nerve-wracking, but I’m very excited.”

Paul Parog, a store employee, is particularly looking forward to sharing the new store layout with the public.

“I’m excited because it’s from what the store used to be, is a complete overhaul and it looks fresh,” Parog said.

Since the fire, the neighborhood has not had a grocery store of its own, forcing residents to find other places to shop while the store is rebuilt.

Damon Lawrence, an employee and Nitro resident himself, says he’s had to drive outside the neighborhood to go shopping while the store is rebuilt.

“You can just, on your way home from work, or most of the people who come here, live a couple blocks away,” Lawrence said. “I don’t like to have to drive 15, 20 minutes. Let’s say, I’m out of some pop or something, to go buy that.”

For the Nitro residents that have been eagerly awaiting their reopening, their wait is nearly over. Store employees including Lawrence say they are just as excited as the public, and they say they cannot wait to open their doors again.

Johnson also says the reopening will provide a much-needed boost to the neighborhood. 

“I’m glad to get it to the community because it’s just what Nitro needed,” Johnson said.