Clover Farms Grocery

Location
Greenville, Florida – Congressional District 5 

The Town of Greenville area does not have a fresh-food grocery store which is a considerable hardship on residents. The Town did have an IGA grocery store in the 1980’s but it has since gone out of business and the building currently stands vacant. The Town’s inability to attract a replacement grocery store is due to several factors including its small population and rural location. These two factors, along with the Town’s low average incomes, have made the Town unattractive to grocery store retailers who can realize higher profit margins in more urban areas.

The economic objectives to be accomplished by this project include the creation of new jobs for area residents and the promotion of additional development within the Greenville, Madison County, FL downtown area. The grocery store owner has committed to creating 11 new jobs because of this project. It is estimated that 3 to 10 additional jobs will be created if other new business locate in Greenville such as a laundromat, restaurant, and doctor’s office.

The grocery store will be a regional business in that its customer base will be within a 15-mile radius of Greenville. Based on current census data for the Town of Greenville, the population impacted as a result of the new grocery store is approximately 746. The Town of Greenville is located in Madison County, Florida. Madison County, to include all municipalities, is considered a persistent poverty county. The most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate the Median Household Income for this area is $23,688 compared to the State level of $59,227; the poverty level is 52.9% compared to the State level of 12.7% for the same period.

The project is currently under construction and is approximately 75% complete. The expected construction completion date is August 2022. With supply chain and labor issues, additional funding is needed to complete construction and equip the store.

The grocery store operator and building tenant will be Clover Farms, Greenville, Inc. The grocery store operator, Mr. Stan Dowdy, owns and operates grocery stores in Valdosta and Quitman Georgia, as well as in the City of Madison. The business owner is Stanley Dowdy. Mr. Dowdy has been operating grocery stores in the North Florida/South Georgia area for over 25 years. Mr. Dowdy’s familiarity with the local market conditions and his long-term ties to the area make him an ideal tenant for the grocery store.

The project will primarily impact the residents of the Town of Greenville and outlining areas within Madison County. Beneficiaries of the new grocery store project will be farmers which will provide local produce to the new grocery store as a well as Twin Oaks Juvenille Center which houses disadvantaged youth.

Funding
CDBG Economic Development Funds: $384,000
DEO Rural Infrastructure Funds: $404,700
Florida Jobs Growth Fund: $389,000
USDA Rural Business Development Grant: $199,000

Contact
Town of Greenville, Lee Jones, Jr., CEO/CFO 850-948-2251