IGA retailers are no strangers to natural disasters. When Hurricane Helene knocked out power across Tryon, North Carolina in 2024, grocery store doors closed one by one.
Tryon IGA did not.
With a full-store generator keeping lights, refrigeration, and registers running, the independent grocer became an immediate supply point for residents navigating days without electricity.
Within hours, the store was experiencing levels of traffic rarely seen outside peak holiday periods.
“We were slammed every day,” owner Willard Teaser explained. “Almost wall-to-wall people for the whole first week.”
While the generators made it possible for the store to stay open following the storm, the surge in traffic also required immediate operational adjustments.
“The biggest challenge was making sure we had enough to take care of them,” Teaser said.
Here, supply chain partnership proved critical. The warehouse provided additional trucks, helping the store replenish high-demand items daily. The store also temporarily reduced hours to 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., allowing staff time to restock shelves and regroup.
Each morning, customers walked into a store that was stocked and ready.
Maintaining that level of preparedness during a crisis comes from many years of practice. Teaser has spent more than five decades in the grocery business. Beginning at age 18, he went on to spend 33 years with A&P, serving as a store manager, district manager, and in higher-level leadership roles.
That experience shaped his response during Hurricane Helene.
However, Teaser emphasizes that leadership alone wasn’t enough.
“All my people showed up,” he said. “Everybody was here.”
Despite long lines and heavy demand, the store experienced no major issues. Customers were patient. Employees remained calm. Operations stayed steady.
“It takes teamwork,” Teaser said. “It takes everybody pulling together to accomplish what we accomplished.”
With time to reflect, Teaser says there are clear takeaways from Hurricane Helene.
First: take warnings seriously.
While the store made preparations and arranged for additional deliveries, the storm’s intensity exceeded expectations.
“Nobody anticipated it being like it was,” he said. “Next time, we’ll take the warnings even more serious.”
Second: know what truly matters in a prolonged power outage.
When electricity is unavailable, frozen foods become less relevant. Instead, demand shifts dramatically toward:
“Canned goods are big,” Teaser said. “That’s what people are looking for.”
He advises retailers to evaluate which categories will spike during outages and adjust backup inventory accordingly.
Most importantly, he emphasizes understanding your specific community.
“Every community is different,” he said. “You’ve got to know your customers and what they’re going to need.”
Businesses honored at the ceremony were represented by (left to right) Beau and Ashley Menetre and Alan Casavant of the Fitzgerald, Willard Teaster of Tryon IGA, Storme Smith of Tryon Daily Bulletin, and Michaila Lawter of Huckleberry's. Photo by Lourdes Gutierriez, Tryon Daily Bulletin.
Late last year, the Town of Tryon Board of Commissioners formally recognized the impact Teaser and his team had on the community during a special awards ceremony honoring local businesses and volunteers who played vital roles in the hurricane response.
Tryon IGA was celebrated for staying operational and supporting residents during one of the town’s most challenging moments.
For Teaser, the recognition was unexpected.
“One of the town officials called and asked if I would attend a meeting,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about the award until I got there.”
During the town meeting where the award was presented, officials described Tryon IGA as a “centerpiece” of the community, a place residents know they can depend on during snowstorms, floods, and other emergencies.
That reputation wasn’t built overnight.
“We’ve been able to stay open during disasters before,” Teaser said. “They know they can depend on us.”
The community responded in kind.
Customers brought meals to employees who couldn’t leave the store. The local fire department cooked food and delivered it. Families grilling at home dropped off sandwiches and hamburgers.
“They knew we were tied up,” Teaser said.
Over a year later, customers still stop him to express their gratitude.
“I had so many people tell me, ‘We’re not going to forget this once this ends.’ And they haven’t.”
For independent grocers, that kind of loyalty is earned through presence and consistency, especially when conditions are hardest.
“If you’ll take care of the community and dig in there to help them,” Teaser said, “the community will take care of you.”
While the award bears his name, Teaser is quick to redirect the credit.
“It wasn’t just me,” he said. “The award goes to the store. I just happen to be the manager and maybe the leader, but it goes to the people too.”
Hurricane Helene reinforced something many independent grocers already know: in small towns, grocery stores are critical infrastructure.
They are supply hubs. Information centers. Gathering spaces. Stability points.
When other businesses closed, Tryon IGA became a reliable constant.
For Teaser, the award from the town was appreciated, but secondary to what mattered most: serving people when they needed it most.
“The award goes to the people,” he said again.
In an industry built on margins and movement, Hurricane Helene served as a reminder that the true value of independent grocery lies in something less measurable but deeply powerful--trust.
And when the next storm comes, Tryon IGA plans to be ready.