Silverton, Colorado — Recreationists who think of the Silverton area as a skiing hotspot may not realize this, but the Colorado ski town has struggled to be economically viable since the decline of mining in the area. Silverton’s population has shrunk, and the running a viable business is challenging. For locals to grab food, there’s only one grocery store that remains in town.
Rocky Mountain PBS recently covered the story of Silverton Grocery. Mark & Darlene Watson grew up in Silverton, and were affected by the shutdown of the mine. After leaving for a year, they decided to open up a grocery store in town in 1989. The Watsons eventually moved their business to the old site of the Greene Street Grocery, which they renamed to Silverton Grocery and Deli. Because of its remoteness, high elevation, narrow roads, and wild weather, getting suppliers to come to the shop has been challenging. Although they’ve had a partner that worked with them through these issue since 2005, it results in high rate frees to the shop, resulting in higher prices for consumers. Without this grocery store though, it would require residents to take a long drive to grab groceries, which isn’t always possible due Silverton’s snowy weather.
In 2023, the Watsons put the shop up for sale. After getting offers from corporate outsiders, they decided to put the grocery store off the market and keep it in local hands. While its ownership model past the Watson’s tenure is uncertain (whether it becomes a co-op or its passed on to a local, family member or co-worker), Silverton residents are grateful it remains in local hands.
Cheers to the Watson family for keeping people fed in Silverton for the past 34 years.
Image/Video Credits: Rocky Mountain PBS (Ziyi Xu), Silverton Grocery
