LITHONIA, Ga. – Big businesses like Walmart and Sam’s Club are closing their doors in Stonecrest, Ga.
Within a week, the city lost a Walmart Neighborhood Market and the Sam’s Club. The Sam’s Club on Turner Hill closed immediately on Jan. 11 while the Neighborhood Market on Covington Highway is expected to close at the end of the month.
The Sam’s Club was one of 63 across the nation to close its doors last week. It was also the only one in Georgia to shut down.
On January 11, a security guard stood in front of the store informing people that it was closed. A sign on the door read, "We regret any inconvenience" and people who showed up left confused.
"We don’t take this lightly and decisions like these are incredibly difficult," Walmart spokesperson Amy Wyatt-Moore said about the closing of the Stonecrest store. "This decision is based on a number of factors, including financial performance."
The Mayor of Stonecrest said city officials were outraged.
"How does a corporation close a store in a city that's doing very well and they don't even let employees know about it," Mayor Jason Lary said.
Now, with the close of two large businesses, city leaders are worried about the economy and the people who live there losing their places to shop.
State Representative Vernon Jones hosted a town hall meeting at the Stonecrest Library on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. to discuss the unannounced closing of the Sam’s Club.
(Re-watch the meeting below, or click here.)
"This abrupt and unannounced closing of the Stonecrest Sam's Club has left many members of the community, local government and former employees with unanswered questions," said Rep. Jones. "We will certainly see an impact on our local economy and our community as a result of the hundreds of jobs that were lost, as well as the lost sales tax revenue that Sam's Club generated. Our citizens deserve answers."
