‘Uphill battle’ forces Northside grocery to close. Changes coming to other location

Wilson’s Grocery and Meat at Greyline Station will be closing at the end of July, according to an Instagram post from the local Lexington market.

The post said because of the coronavirus pandemic, Wilson’s has dealt with labor and product shortages, sickness, high gas prices and more, forcing the Northside neighborhood grocery and sandwich shop to close.

It was described as an “uphill battle.”

“We unanimously feel that this consolidation will sustain the future of Wilson’s,” the Instagram post said, with a renewed focus coming to the popular original location at 1010 Cramer Ave.

“And to our Kenwick patrons, we hope that you begin to notice the changes we’re making and the energy we’re putting into resurrecting the OG Wilson’s,” Wilson’s Instagram post said. “Because Wilson’s is a Lexington institution…one that we’re honored to carry into the future.”

Wilson’s in Greyline Station last day of operation will be July 31.

What’s next for Greyline Station?

Chad Needham, owner of Needham Properties and landlord for Greyline Station, said the closing has been in the works for some a while.

“As a landlord, I want to put my tenants in the best position possible,” Needham said. “We believe this is best for their business.”

Needham also cited pandemic struggles that other businesses in Greyline have dealt with, but he said there is already interested tenants in Wilson’s space.

“(Greyline) has been full for a year and a half, and we opened during the pandemic,” Needham said. “We have a really big list of people that want in.”

Needham said Greyline is going to see change through its lifetime, and that change is not a bad thing.

One change in its early days occurred when some food stalls in the Julietta Market, which is inside Greyline Station, were shut down by the fire marshal in 2021 due ventilation issues. But Needham says it has been worked out with the fire department and electric hoods are in place.

This story was originally published July 1, 2022 at 12:03 PM.