Nearly seven months after floodwaters rose more than 5 feet inside its walls, leaving behind nothing but ruin, Warfield’s only supermarket is coming back.

On Sept. 1, the store will reopen under a new name — Warfield Market — restoring groceries and a vital cornerstone of daily life for families across Martin, Mingo and Wayne counties.

The closure in February meant long drives for families for groceries. For older people and those without reliable transportation, it was a hardship that proved just how essential a local grocery store is to a community.

Co-owner Brad Pack and his family could have given up. Instead, they gutted the store to its bones, rebuilt from the outside in, and invested in new insulation, equipment and design. The result, Pack says with pride, is “about as close to a new store as we could get.”

The familiar deli, bakery, butcher shop and produce section will return at full strength.

The name has changed, but the spirit of service remains the same.

That spirit is rooted in history. The Walker/Pack family has carried the torch of community grocery service since 1959, when Derle Walker, Pack’s grandfather, opened a store in Inez. In 1991, he bought the Warfield store from longtime grocer Dan Copley.

Even as the floods of 1977, 1984, 2002, 2021 and now 2025 tested the store’s resilience, the family never lost sight of its purpose to serve.

This reopening is about the faith of business owners who refused to let a disaster become the final chapter. It is also about customers who cheered from the sidelines, telling Pack again and again, “Hurry, we need our store.”

In an era when rural towns often watch their institutions fade, Warfield Market’s return is a triumph that floodwaters cannot wash away.

Welcome back, Warfield Market. You were missed.