By Sarah Richardson
The revitalization of White Sulphur Springs continues this week after the soft opening of Pinoy Store, an international goods and whole foods outlet, was held on Dec. 5. Owners Joshua and Franchesca Berry say they are striving to bring a variety of flavors and hard-to-find goods to the Greenbrier Valley.
Pinoy Store offers Filipino, Jamaican, and Indonesian staples right now, but their inventory is currently expanding based on local influence. “Our shelves aren’t totally filled yet, so we were really able to listen to local feedback about what people would like to see,” Joshua said. They are also partnering with Caring Acres Farm in Lewisburg to provide local beef, eggs, and produce in the future.
However, opening such a store in a rural area presents unique challenges. “It’s hard to get things shipped into this area,” he added. “We are working against that challenge right now, as well as dealing with COVID difficulties.” Despite the obstacles, their inventory continues to expand, and foot traffic has been “consistent” since their opening day.
Joshua and Franchesca met seven years ago when they were both working in Aspen, Colorado, and they later moved to West Virginia together. They have now been living in the area for seven years, and have two children together. Franchesca is Filipino, and saw how difficult it was it to find foods from her culture in the area. The two would make regular trips to Roanoke, bringing back goods, and then moved onto the idea of opening their own store.
“I love seeing the joy that this brings to the community,” said Joshua. “I didn’t realize how big the demand was for this locally.” He also stressed the importance of healthy eating, and emphasized that also providing locally sourced whole foods is very important to their shop.
Pinoy Store is currently open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. A grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 12. Follow their updates on Facebook at Pinoy Store (@internationalgroceryonline) for updates.