Joe and Dale Longmire have owned the Midway IGA grocery store in Corryton for over 25 years and worked at the grocery store for their father when they were kids.

Joe, 76, and Dale, 72, recently decided it was time to sell the store.

"We're not as young as we used to be," Dale said. "it's catching up."

After a long search for a buyer, the Longmire brothers sold their business and the shopping mall structure for a total of $5.3 million to Haven Gopal, a University of Tennessee at Knoxville graduate and hotel owner.

Gopal owns a Fairfield Inn and Suites by Marriott, and his family owns a few other hotels in the Tri-Cities area.

The store is part of Gibbs Plaza at 7345 Tazewell Pike, which includes several other businesses. Gopal does not own those businesses, but is their new landlord.

A secretive search

The Longmires didn't want to sell their store to become part of a national chain. It was important to keep Midway IGA a locally owned business.

To keep big investors out of the deal, they never advertised the business as being for sale, and tasked Realty Executives and Associates real estate agent Jacquie Litton with finding a buyer quietly.

But just as the Longmires were intentional with choosing Gopal as the buyer, they were intentional with choosing Litton to broker a deal.

Litton grew up in Corryton and has known the Longmires for years.

She remembers biking down to the Midway to pick up groceries for her parents. Joe's wife, Becky, was Litton's seventh grade teacher.

Litton's search began in 2020. She thought of approaching Gopal for the opportunity to purchase after he sold one of his hotel businesses. Gopal loved the idea and the Longmires believed he was the perfect fit to take over.

"He liked it because of the authenticity and fellowship of it, as far as the community involvement and what they brought to the table," Litton said.

"We've always been in the hotel business, and we still have hotels and stuff, (but) we wanted to try something different." Gopal said. "It's a new business venture."

Sticking to the original recipe

The Longmires built Gibbs Plaza from the ground up in 1997, so Gopal will be the first new owner of the plaza.

Employees and customers shouldn't expect radical changes. Despite making a few minor fixes to the building, Gopal said he plans to keep everything about the store the same.

Even the deli's beloved fried chicken recipe will be the same, which Litton said longtime customers will be happy to hear. One of those customers is U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett, who voiced his worry about the recipe changing under new ownership during a state senate meeting, according to Litton.

After spending the last 20 years in the hotel business, Gopal is excited to venture into new waters and learn the inner-workings of a supermarket. Plus, Joe and Dale will mentor him until he gets his sea legs.

The Longmire brothers said they'll miss seeing the faces of their employees that they've seen every day for years.

"I do feel the pressure to keep the Longmires' name and the legacy going, and I'm excited to keep it going," Gopal said.

Silas Sloan covers growth and development in East Tennessee for Knox News. He can be reached at  silas.sloan@knoxnews.com. You can follow his work on Twitter @silasloan, or on Instagram @knox.growth. and sign up for the free, weekly Urban Knoxville newsletter. Unlock premium perks and support strong local journalism at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Midway IGA grocery store in Corryton has new owner