Bobbie Maxwell is checking out some of her final customers this week.
“We’re getting ready to close,” said Maxwell on Monday. “We had a 92-year run, but my husband recently died and there’s just more work than what the last two Maxwell’s can do here without him.”
Maxwell’s Food Store closing in Auburn (video)
Cayuga County icon will be missed, residents say
Maxwell’s Food Store has been a staple in the Auburn community for almost a century, and locals who shop here are feeling emotional about its final week in business.
“I want to cry,” said Auburn resident Kit Shorr. “Very, very sad. I’ve been coming here since these kids were little. I knew the whole family. It’s sad.”
“It’s just another icon of Auburn that’s gonna be gone and it’s gonna be missed,” said Auburn resident Larry Morrell. It’s just another loss of the good old days.”
Maxwell proudly showed us a picture of her husband Scott.
“This was before he got sick,” Maxwell said. He had cancer, multiple myeloma. There’s no cure. They treat it, but there’s no cure. And he ran out of treatments.”
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Grocery store history dates back to 1930
Maxwell’s has a rich history, she explains.
Her husband’s grandfather started the business back in 1930.
“My husband, his sister and his brother Larry that’s here, they took over from their father in 1992 when he passed,” Maxwell said. “We lost Corky in ’95, and we lost Frances in ’96, and we lost my son in 2009 and he was the next generation.”
After already enduring so much loss, now she’s saying goodbye to her store, which she says, feels bittersweet.
“Yes, I want to retire, but no, I don’t really like the idea of us having to close to retire but there aren’t any more of us to do this, and that’s just the way it’s going to have to be,” Maxwell said.
More: Maxwell’s Food Store in Auburn closing after almost a century
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].