The roof of Brookshire’s grocery store in White Hall collapsed Tuesday morning.
At about 9:30 a.m., White Hall Police Chief Mickey Buffkin alerted city officials that the roof of the 24,000-square foot structure was caving in. Mayor Noel Foster, and Deputy Mayor Jeff May responded within minutes to the grocery store at 8503 Dollarway Road, as did additional police officers, firefighters, and city Public Works employees.
“Literally, you could hear the building rattling, creaking,” Foster said.
May said he and Buffkin “watched as the doors and glass were bowing” and they could hear “bricks popping” from the walls. The south side of the store was visibly bent inward.
“We watched the walls moving six inches or so. We were stunned,” Foster said.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The building has been ruled a total loss.
The White Hall city inspector declared the building unsafe and it was immediately condemned, Foster said.
This Brookshire’s location had its grand opening nearly five years ago to the day — Feb. 4, 2021.
“Our Brookshire’s store in White Hall experienced significant roof and structural damage during the recent winter storm,” Morgan Jones, Brookshire Grocery Co. director of communication, said Tuesday afternoon.
She added Brookshire’s had been closed since Jan. 26 with employees reassigned to Brookshire-owned Super 1 Foods at 5805 Dollarway Road in Pine Bluff and Spring Market, 1024 Sheridan Road in Redfield.
“Because the building is not safe for anyone to enter at this time, the store will remain closed while we work closely with local officials to safely remove the damaged structure,” Jones added.
The White Hall Police Department had been closely monitoring the building to prevent unlawful entry and to deter possible looters. The police department had installed a live police surveillance camera in the parking lot.
Within minutes of the city’s arrival, Entergy employees responded, cutting off power, and the White Hall Fire Department shut off the gas.
“There were 30 propane bottles stacked up in front of the building,” Foster said. “I didn’t want there to be an explosion or the building to catch fire. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.”
Foster also said he was thrilled with the way his city employees responded quickly and handled the situation professionally.
“I want to personally thank all of my team members,” he said.
The mayor described the grocery store’s loss as tragic to the small community.
Before Brookshire’s opened in White Hall, the building was occupied by Cranford’s grocery store. Before that, it was White Hall Food Mart, and Foster remembers “shopping there as a kid.”
The building is believed to have been open since the 1970s, according to Larry Cranford, who along with his family bought the store in 1989.
“We are committed to serving the White Hall community and are actively working to secure a temporary location so we can continue providing the products and service our customers depend on,” Jones said. “We will share updates as soon as plans are finalized.
“We sincerely appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued support as our team works through this situation. We look forward to serving you again in White Hall as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, Jones said, customers are invited to shop at nearby Super 1 Foods locations.
