Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue's lone grocery store reopens

Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue has a new grocery store There was a party last night in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue in an unlikely place - a grocery store, as the community celebrates the big opening.

Five months after bankruptcy forced its doors closed, Saint-Anne-de-Bellevue's lone grocery store has finally reopened.

Marché Richelieu's closure last January came as a shock to residents of the West Island town, particularly seniors, as the closest alternative was miles away in Baie-D'Urfe -- a quick trip for drivers, but a 50-minute walk for those on foot.

When longtime grocer Claude McSween and his wife Lori heard the news, they decided to come out of retirement and buy the store.

"A town that loses their grocery store is a town that dies," McSween said at an event celebrating the store's reopening on Wednesday.

Francine Coulombe worked in the old store for two decades and said she's thrilled to be coming back.

"I decided to come back, especially for the customers, because you know they were seeing me every day for the last 21 years, so I think it's really important," she said.