Crestline grocery store reopens after being crushed by snow a year ago
A staple of the Crestline community and main provider of groceries to the city’s nearly 10,000 residents reopened Tuesday, 14 months after its roof came crashing down under the heavy snowfall of a massive winter storm in 2023.
“It is with great anticipation and joy that we have been approved to re-open our doors today Tuesday May 7th,” Goodwin’s Market posted on its Instagram page just hours before customers were allowed back in the store.
The grocery store was occupied by a few employees when a corner of the roof began to collapse around 4 a.m. on March 1 of last year.
The employees evacuated before calling the fire department and building and safety officials but could only stand by as the rest of the roof collapsed around mid-morning.
The store’s sudden shuttering proved to be a disaster for the area residents who were already reeling from major roadblocks and being snowed in amid the powerful storm.
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“We are the only grocery store in town, been there for 77 years,” Mike Johnstone, vice president of the market, said at the time.
Once the storm subsided enough for residents to drive again they were forced to go even deeper into the snow to get to a grocery store, traveling seven or eight miles up the mountain to Blue Jay or Lake Arrowhead, or take an even longer trip down the hill to shop in San Bernardino.
The store’s reopening was predicted to take around 24 months but employees, contractors and San Bernardino County officials were said to have all worked together to move things along quickly.
“After 1 year, 2 Months and 6 days we are able to serve our beautiful mountain community once again,” Goodwin’s post read.
Residents describe the market as not just a grocery store but a gathering place for the entire community.
“From 1963 to 2024 I’m stepping back in to my favorite grocery store to shop. From a teen to a old lady hahaha,” patron judy-craik commented on the store’s Instagram post.
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