MANCHESTER, Tenn. (WTVF) — A power outage and a small fire at a Manchester grocery store last week turned into a remarkable story of trust, teamwork and neighbors helping neighbors.
Spring Street Market is more than a place to buy groceries, according to General Manager Kelly Wilder.
"The store is our keystone store in our area," Wilder said.
It is a place, she said, where people always come before profit.
"People who shop here shop day in and day out. They are part of who we are and the fabric of our very identity," Wilder explained.
That philosophy was put to the test when strong storms swept through Manchester just before the Fourth of July.
"We lose our power and we have no registers. No service lanes. We've got nothing. I've got a store full of customers when the lights go out," Wilder said.
Wilder and her staff went old school.
"We start manually keying in what they've got. Round up. Do our math," Wilder said.
With credit card machines down, they relied on the honor system, letting customers take their groceries home with a promise to come back and pay later.
Hours after closing, with the power back on, a small fire broke out damaging equipment where frozen food is stored at.
Manchester police officers and firefighters responded quickly — but they didn't stop once the flames were out. They noticed one freezer had gone down.
"They form an old-fashioned fire brigade line, like you see on TV with Bugs Bunny, and they start slinging product and get all the product out of the cooler that's down," Wilder said.
Their quick work saved everything.
"Out of all 17 [freezer] doors worth of product, we lost not one bag of anything," Wilder said.
For Wilder, the response was a reminder of what makes the community special.
"People taking care of people is what small town is all about," Wilder explained.
The customers she trusted when the lights went out came through, too. Every one returned to pay.
"One hundred percent of Manchester showed up just as strong for us as we did for them. Can't beat Manchester spirit," Wilder added.
To thank the first responders, Wilder is giving all 16 of them $100 gift cards to the market. Next month, the store is going through a renovation and is getting new freezers.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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