HERMITAGE, Tenn. - After 65 years, the oldest business in Hermitage has been set to close its doors.
For generations of shoppers, the next few weeks at Benson's Foodland Market will be a trip down memory lane.
For the Benson's, it's a long awaited break.
Richard Benson and his family have still been cutting their own meat in the butcher department and stocking their own shelves.
For the most part, it's a family affair and has been since Benson's father opened the store in 1949.
The job has always been hard and Benson said it's not getting any easier, so he's decided it's time to hang up the apron for good.
"I'm going to do the things I haven't been able to do the last 50 years," Benson said. "Whether that's fish, hunt or whatever. I was actually raised on this corner. I've been here 71 years going on 72 years. I was raised in the house right behind the building here."
Benson's Foodland Market was scheduled to close sometime in the next two weeks.
The exact date depended on how fast the merchandise goes. Groceries have all been marked at 30 percent off.
Once the store closes the equipment will be auctioned off.
Benson said a developer had already bought the building and planned to turn it into retail and office space.
