Phenix City's Oldest Piggly Wiggly to Shutter After Financial Struggles

The 13th Street location, open since the early 1970s, will close in the coming weeks.

Published on Feb. 23, 2026

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The Piggly Wiggly grocery store on 13th Street in Phenix Plaza, Phenix City, Georgia, will be closing after over 40 years in operation. The store, which opened in the early 1970s and is the oldest Piggly Wiggly location in the area, has faced financial difficulties due to equipment replacement costs and month-to-month lease agreements.

Why it matters

The closure of this longstanding community grocery store is a blow to the Phenix City area, which has seen the rise of larger chain supermarkets in recent decades. The 13th Street Piggly Wiggly was a local institution, predating other area stores, and its shuttering reflects the challenges small, independent grocers face in today's retail landscape.

The details

J-T-M Corporation, which owns and operates the Phenix City Piggly Wiggly location, cited the store's financial struggles with equipment replacement costs and month-to-month lease agreements as the primary reasons for the closure. All 20 employees at the Phenix Plaza store have been offered jobs at other Piggly Wiggly locations in the area.

  • The Piggly Wiggly on 13th Street in Phenix Plaza opened in the early 1970s.
  • The store has operated for more than 40 years in the Phenix City community.
  • The store will be closing in the coming weeks, according to an employee.

The players

J-T-M Corporation

The company that owns and operates the Phenix City Piggly Wiggly location.

Greg

A regular customer at the Piggly Wiggly store who was informed by an employee that the store would be closing in a couple of weeks.

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What they’re saying

“Alright Greg, you ain't got long." I said what you talkin about man, he said we're gonna be on up out of here in about a couple more weeks.”

— Greg, Regular customer (WTVM)

What’s next

No specific plans have been announced for the future of the Phenix Plaza space once the Piggly Wiggly store closes.

The takeaway

The closure of Phenix City's oldest Piggly Wiggly store is a sign of the challenges facing small, independent grocers in the face of competition from larger chain supermarkets. This loss will be felt by the local community that has relied on the store for over four decades.