A Cox’s Creek landmark, In & Out Market, closes its doors

By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette

Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 2 p.m. — A sign on the door carries the bad news that the residents of the Cox’s Creek portion of Louisville Road had been fearing for months — as of  Thursday, March 24th, the In & Out Market has permanently closed.

The hand-written sign simply states “Store closed! Out of Business.”

The In & Out Market was owned by Charlie Siders and had been suffering from the combined effects of the national economic downturn and the US31 reconstruction for some time. Last fall, Siders had been forced to layoff a number of his employees; the cut led Siders to also cut his business hours, and required him to pull several double shifts to keep the store open even for its reduced hours.

The store, located just south of the KY509/US31E intersection at 6250 Louisville Road, had been cutting back on inventory in recent months; for the first time in recent years, the store did not carry kerosene for winter heating. The store had been carrying only the regular grade of gasoline for several years.

A call to the store’s listed telephone number was answered by an AT&T recording as “out of service.”

LOSS WILL BE FELT. The closing of the store means more than area residents will be forced to drive further for gas, milk and needed groceries. The In & Out Market was a gathering place for residents to discuss what was happening in the north end of the county; the store’s lunch tables were well-used by a host of regulars throughout the day.

The store was a drop-off point for school activity buses, and the store’s interior offered a warm, dry, safe place for kids to wait for their parent or guardian to arrive to take them home. Though there was a pay phone across the parking lot, the store’s employees offered school kids the use of the store phone if no one showed to pick them up after school.

The closing of the In & Out Market brings to an end — at least for now — the long run of markets and general stores that have operated at or near the store’s Cox’s Creek location.

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