SHILOH, North Carolina--In the farthest northeast corner of North Carolina sits a store that serves as a lifeline for the town of Shiloh.
That store is the Little Riddle Market. It is more than just a town grocer; it is a vital part of the community it works to serve on a daily basis.
For some people in North Carolina, getting basic household needs is as a simple as a three mile drive up the road and back. For many rural residents getting something as simple as a loaf of bread is chore that involves a journey across several miles and the cost of at least a quarter tank of gas.
Little Riddle LLC, owned by William and Tammy Newell, received a $120 thousand grant, through the USDA’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative in 2022, to develop a community grocery and farm market in Camden County, North Carolina, where there are no grocery stores within 30 minutes.
The Newell family had already begun rehabbing a dilapidated property that had once operated as a grocery store.
When the Newell family decided to restore the property they were hoping to develop a store front that could be rented out for any number of businesses. It was a conversation with Camden County leadership that pointed the family to becoming grocers.
“We found out that the only grocery store, that had been here for generations, was going to close as the owners were getting ready to retire,” said Willam Newell. “That meant that there would be no way for anyone in the local community to have access to groceries without traveling a good bit.”
Using the skills the Newell had developed over many years as contractors and with the help of relatives, from as far away as Maryland, the family invested many hours of sweat equity to get the project going.
The HFFI funds helped to purchase the materials needed to put a new roof on the market and supply materials to make the structure habitable for local mercantile.
The Newell’s are listening to their customers when they express their needs and are working to fill their shelves with the items their customers are asking for. This is helping to keep the Little Riddle Market overhead low and directly service the needs of the community.
“Being from a rural area, I know people don’t need five or six different types of bread,” said North Carolina Rural Development State Director Reginald Speight during a recent visit to the Little Riddle Market. “They just need some bread [to purchase].”
The Newell’s are also helping local farmers and merchants by allowing them to sell their crops and locally made goods on their shelves.
During a recent visit to the Little Riddle Market, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development Dr. Basil Gooden announced a new round of funding under the HFFI program that runs through October 14, 2024.
“I am a living testament to growing up in stores like this,” said Gooden who grew up in rural Virginia. “This is not just a market; it is a place where the community comes together and shares their lives.”
The Newell’s hope to continue to take advantage of other Federal and State opportunities to help expand their store to serve the town of Shiloh and its surrounding areas.
According to the USDA Website, the Healthy Food Financing Initiative provides loans, grants, and technical assistance resources to improve and support access to fresh, healthy, affordable food in urban and rural underserved communities.
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