Local store regulars of Happy Valley convenience store heartbroken after fire Wednesday morning

THOMSON, Ga. (WJBF) – A convenience store in McDuffie County caught on fire this morning. Leaving many in the community heartbroken.

The Happy Valley Convenience Store in Thomson is a total loss after a fire broke out early Wednesday morning.

“It’s a tragedy; it’s a shock to the community. This store served a lot of people, you know, in a small, small community,” said Franklin Palmer, a Resident.

The convenience store has been around since the 1920s. Many in the town remember going to this store as kids.

“To a lot of us, this store was more than just a convenience,” said Palmer.

Others who moved to the area in recent years still have made memories and traditions of going to this store.

“I normally come here every Sunday, sometimes in the middle of the week because you know it’s one of the closest stores to us,” said Jennifer Archon, a Resident.

For now, the cause of the fire is unknown, but no one was hurt. Local loyal customers of the store say they will miss it in their day-to-day lives.

“A lot of people come here in the morning to get their breakfast sandwiches. People come here for lunch to get their lunches and their drinks. A lot of landscaping companies come here to fuel up for the day with their coolers. Now this is gone, so there’s no middle stop between the towns,” said Archon.

Owners of Happy Valley do want to rebuild and bring back the convenience store to the area.

“I asked him are, you going to build, and he just simply nodded. He said yes, we want to get once you everything gets situated or whatnot, he was looking forward to hopefully rebuild,” said Palmer.

There is a GoFundMe if you would like to donate to the Happy Valley Staff.

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