The ding of the cash register as items are being rung up. The brief ring as the door welcomes people in and the soft chatter of customers as they finish their grocery lists. These are the sounds that fill the walls of Fitch’s IGA in Wilmore, Kentucky.
The Fitch family has always owned an IGA store. In 1956, they moved from upstate New York with their six children to Wilmore, Kentucky. The move was mainly for Asbury University, where most of their kids attended college. They decided to open an IGA grocery store the same year. The residents of Wilmore have kept the doors open ever since.
“It’s my life,” said IGA store owner and Asbury University graduate Leonard Fitch. Fitch has been in this business since he was sixteen years old. He’s been asked to retire many times but “I’m afraid if I do the store will close,” said Fitch. He has “more than happy” put his entire life into this store, including selling his classic Corvette, to keep the store afloat.
Fitch’s love for people has kept him motivated to work as long as he has. “I love people,” said Fitch. He said he is still rewarded by the friendships he has made through his time working at and owning his store.
The store has struggled to keep the shelves stocked since COVID-19 and the rise in inflation. Fitch’s daughter, Stephanie, overseen restocking and the deliveries. In an interview with LEX18, she said the costs of everything have gone up.
“Delivery, and refrigeration costs have tripled,” Stephanie said. “We pay people more because you have to pay people more to get them to work. It’s not just one thing. Everything is more expensive.”
With the surge of people who came to Wilmore for the unexpected revival, the IGA saw more customers than they have in a while. Fitch expressed more gratitude for the souls being saved than he did for the profit of his business.
“If one soul is saved, then it is worth the effort and there have been a lot of souls saved,” said Fitch.
Fitch is dedicated to the people and always has been and always will be. Through his business, he wants “people to think of me as a Christian, and I want to live up to that,” said Fitch.
