LEWISBURG — This Mason County village has lost a local icon with the closing of a business.
Jolly’s Delicatessen, a roadside market and gas station, located just off of Kentucky 3170 in Lewisburg, closed its doors at the beginning of this year.
Roger Jolly, current owner and operator of the business, said the station has been running since the late 1950s
“Bill Downing started in, I think it was like in ‘58,” Jolly said. “We (Jolly’s family) took over in the 60s, I think it was ‘66-‘67, but we’ve had it since then.”
The delicatessen began under rather humble circumstances, according to Jolly.
“Bill Downing had a garage over there (where he lived), and he moved the garage over here and made a store out of it,” Jolly said.
Jolly pointed out that if one were to look, they could still see the original features of the 20-by-20 foot garage-turned-deli.
As the years went on and Jolly took over the business, he and his family added on to the original building.
As far as he can remember, Jolly said this store had always sold fuel, groceries and deli foods to people both inside and outside of the community.
Although the store is technically closed, Jolly is still trying to sell as much of the inventory left in the store as he can before the lights are turned off for the final time.
“I put the sign up that I was closing the first of the year, but I’m staying here for a little while to just get rid of some of the stock,” he said this week.
Jolly did not say when he will lock the doors for the final time.
At 73 years old, and after operating his business for 50 years, Jolly said he simply wishes to hang it up and retire. He said that he is not opposed to the idea of someone else coming in and continuing the business however, as the building will be put up for rent.
“I’ve told a few people, and they’ve inquired, but no definite answers,” he said.
Jennifer Marshall, a lifetime resident of Lewisburg, said she knows Jolly’s Delicatessen very well. She remembers the local business from a very early age, and the community that once surrounded it.
“That was the first place, honestly that I was allowed to go without supervision,” she said, “just because everybody knew everybody. It was right down the road, so it was nice.”
After seeing the business run for so long, and knowing the Jolly family, Marshall said she hates to see the small deli go.
“It was a staple to the community.” she said, “so it’s going to be missed by a lot. I don’t think people realize yet what impact it’s going to have. It’s convenience, and that convenience will no longer be there.”
To Marshall, seeing the deli close down is like seeing a part of her childhood drift away, as it often does for everyone
“It’s the last piece of my childhood, so to speak, that’s still left there,” Marshall said. “The residents, all of the homeowners, have changed since. The people that I grew up having as neighbors have all passed on, so it’s that one staple that still kind of connects the dots — still kind of connects the childhood to current. So it’s going to be a shock, it’s going to be unfortunate.”
When it comes to local businesses like Jolly’s Delicatessen, Jolly believes the slow dying of these kinds of places is a symptom of the times, and the influence of larger companies; although he also believes one has to work hard to run a local business.
“You’ve got to work it,” he said, “and a lot of people don’t want to put in the hours, and it takes a lot of hours.”
Looking back on his time spent running his own business, Jolly said the deli has been good for making a living and providing for himself and his family, as well as the community, as it allowed residents to not travel as far for groceries or fuel.
“It’s been an honor — it’s been a living for several years.” he said. “I’ve bought my house out of it, and it just been pretty good to me.”
