The Save-A-Lot grocery store in the Mt. Blue Plaza in Farmington will close Nov. 23, according to Assistant Manager Janna Marie. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

FARMINGTON — The Save-A-Lot grocery store in the Mt. Blue Plaza will close Nov. 23, Assistant Manager Janna Marie Toothaker posted Tuesday on Facebook.

The store employs eight people who were told that afternoon, she said.

Hannaford in Farmington reached out and is offering a mini job fair next week, Toothaker said.

She wrote on her Facebook page that there would be no sales; everything left would be shipped to South Paris or Portland stores.

Closing just before Thanksgiving is the worst time, she noted.

“What is half of Franklin County going to do?” a commenter posted on Toothaker’s Facebook page. (Save-A-Lot) might not serve a lot of people but the people they do serve really need it. How are they going to eat? A good dinner to make for a family of five cost around 18-25 bucks, depending on if it’s from Walmart or Hannafords. Go to Save-A-Lot get a whole dinner with leftovers for 9-12 bucks.”

The Farmington store is owned by John Hammontree who owns Save-A-Lot stores in Portland and South Paris and one in New Hampshire.

A spokesperson at the Save-A-Lot headquarters in Missouri said Wednesday that there was no contact information available for Hammontree, one of several Save-A-Lot independent store owners.

Farmington store Manager Bruce Abbott said he could not share Hammontree’s contact information.

The Save-A-Lot in Sanford owned by Hammontree closed abruptly with no prior notice just before Christmas in 2016. Contacted then, he said he didn’t have time to talk.

In September 2021, Hammontree remodeled the South Paris store.