A trip to Felton's on the east end of Plant City is a trip back in time.
"People enjoy a neighborhood type store," says Lee Williams, the second generation owner of Plant City's oldest grocery store, which first opened in 1955.
"I have an employee that stared with us in 1957," says Williams.
As our cameras followed Williams around the store, customers stopped him left and right to greet him and reminisce about this family. "I have people that stop me and say I knew your dad in 1959," says Williams.
His mom and pop have passed on, but Williams is keeping this mom and pop store alive and well.
So what's the secret? Low prices and local products you won't find in big chains.
"We find the best quality with the best price, and we get that, and we pass that on to our customers," says Williams.
In an industry where big chains dominate, Felton's has become a case study for how a business can keep a local connection with it's customers.
"We found that people want things a little different, and we can offer things that other competitors don't want to," explains Williams.
They even have a barbecue smoker in the front of the store.
But for all the down home feeling Felton's offers, Williams says it's still a tough business and he wouldn't survive without low prices and his customers telling him exactly what they want.
"I have a lot of bosses. Every person who walks through that door is my boss," explains Williams.
For a list of independent Grocery Stores near you, click here.
