BELLEVUE, Tenn. (WTVF) — After nearly 50 years serving the Bellevue community, McNeil's Produce is closing its doors, with its final hours of operation running Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Owner David McNeil said rising costs made it impossible to keep the business running.
"By the time you add your fuel and your fees and what you're spending for permits and licenses and break it down at the end of the day, you pay someone to help you, you're negative," McNeil said.
The shop started on the back of a truck and grew into a neighborhood institution over the decades.
"It started out on the back of a truck and went from that to a small shed that was probably about big enough for me and you to turn in," McNeil said.
For McNeil, the business was more than a livelihood — it was a place filled with personal memories.
"I stumped my toes here all the time running barefooted, riding bikes, climbing hills," McNeil jokingly said.
The closure came as a shock to longtime customers like Debra Johnsen, who has shopped at McNeil's Produce for 20 years.
"I was stunned. I really was. I saw it on Facebook and couldn't believe it," Johnsen said.
Johnsen said the store had been a cornerstone of her family's weekly routine.
"When they're open, our menus are perfect. I have all the fresh fruits and vegetables, and these peppers are my husband's favorite," Johnsen said.
Despite the closure, McNeil has not ruled out a return.
"We're hoping we can possibly in the next year or two years try to get everything turned around and hoping the economy gets better," McNeil explained.
He closed with a message of gratitude to the community that supported him for nearly half a century.
"We want to thank everybody for the years that shopped with us and the business we had, the friendships we gained," McNeil said.
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