By KEVIN CHIRI

Editor and Publisher

LAPLACE – St. John Parish residents wondering what will happen to the recently closed Frank’s SuperValu grocery store won’t have to wonder for very long.

Another independent grocery store is expected to open in the same place, perhaps as soon as November 1, should the pending deal go through, said Frank’s owner David LeBoeuf.

Frank’s, which has operated out of their spot on Airline Highway for nine years, was severely damaged from Hurricane Gustav.

LeBoeuf said that the storm damaged the roof so badly that he had a total loss of inventory. But even though he has insurance to cover the loss, LeBoeuf said he has made a personal decision to scale back his grocery store operations and sell the store.

LeBoeuf owns four other grocery stores in the South Louisiana region, with one each in Des Allemands, Lockport, Larose and Golden Meadow. The Frank’s here in LaPlace was his fourth store.

But the 46-year-old owner said he has had his hands full trying to run five stores and since LaPlace is “a little bit outside the general geographic area of my other stores,” he made the business decision to sell.

LeBoeuf said that he is expecting to sign the deal this Thursday with the new grocery store, which will be another independent owner from another region of Southeast Louisiana, who operates in a similar fashion to Frank’s and other local independents.

LeBoeuf said that even with a handful of local independent stores operating in St. John Parish against a couple of large chain stores, the regionally owned stores will still do well.

“The reason the independent grocery stores have done so well around here is that we cater to local needs and wants, and customers are still more interested in service like that than the price,” LeBoeuf explained.

“People in South Louisiana like to be catered to and the independent grocery stores have always provided better service to the customers,” he added.

LeBoeuf pointed to the time about five years ago when the Wal-Mart Supercenter came to town, and many predictions were made about all the local independent grocery stores going out of business.

“Instead, we have done better,” he said. “All of us are doing just fine, even with the bigger stores in the area.”

LeBoeuf started in the grocery store business in 1978, getting brought in under his father’s stores. The local Frank’s had been a Schwegmann’s store before LeBoeuf bought it out and made it a local, independent store.

“The Frank’s store in LaPlace has always done well,” he explained. “But all independent stores work under small margins of profit, so it can be tough. I just decided that with five stores, I was ready to scale back and focus on the other ones which are closer to my home.”

Repairs are currently on tap for the Frank’s store, which will include major repairs to the roof and the ceiling.

LeBoeuf said the new owner might be open as early as November 1.

“I just want to thank my customers in the area who were real good to us, and of course, all my employees. I had a good bunch of employees,” LeBoeuf said.