Shelton’s Farm Market closes after 77 years in business

At 7:00 PM December 14th, the doors to Shelton’s Farm Market closed for the very last time.

The businesses has been in Niles for 77 years and closed its doors on Betty Shelton’s birthday, who owner Nick Shelton says was crucial to the success of the store early on.

Shelton adding that, now was the right time to close.

“There are three partners in this business who are 70 years old, 77 years old, 93 years old. That’s my grandpa. You know, it’s time for them to enjoy retirement. And I think the timing was right. You know, we went out on our own terms.,” Nick Shelton said.

The store has been working to sell all its product, pricing down items in the hopes that tonight all of the shelves would be cleared.

The community helped do their part in making it a successful final day for Shelton’s, one longtime shopper says it felt like a family, not a business.

“The hometown feel, the smiling faces who have been here for years … Shelton’s has always been very special it’s a great place to go, with Walmart. I don’t know where I’m going to shop now,” Roxy Guifvert said.

Shelton says while the family has put in a lot of work over the years, it was the entire community that made Shelton’s Farm Market so special.

“To work alongside my dad, my grandpa, my uncle, more cousins than I can count, more family members than I can count, and a lot of employees who’ve been here so long that they feel like family. We’ve been very blessed with with our team. We’ve had incredible customers. Without those customers, we wouldn’t have been here this long today,” Nick Shelton said.

Shelton says he has been in touch with local food banks and other organizations to make sure any unsold product does not go to waste.

It was announced in September the property had been sold to Aldi.