The North Park section of Wheeling is home to a multitude of families comprising varying levels of socioeconomic status. You’ll find families who drive a Mercedes to families that take the bus or even walk.
But one struggle they all share is a lack of convenience. There are no stores, grocery or otherwise, in North Park. Any type of purchase requires either shopping online, using a third-party delivery service, or the most utilized option of traversing off the hill and into lower Wheeling. Any trip to or from North Park requires driving up and down Big Wheeling Hill and then further up (or down) Mt. Wood Road.
For those who lack personal transportation, this can be an arduous task—on a good day. They either need to take the bus or, if not available, walk down to their destination and then make the return trip.
When the weather gets bad? Forget about it. If you don’t have 4WD, you’re not making it back up the hill so many won’t even chance it. That creates a real predicament if you’re needing to shop for groceries.
Sometime soon, however, that should no longer be a problem thanks to Wheeling native Everette Gray Jr.
Gray is one of four finalists for the next Show of Hands contest put on by Wheeling Heritage. His plan? Gray wants to open a neighborhood grocery store, On Deck Korner Store, across from his current residence.
The location would be at 2 Hawk Court, right in the heart of North Park and near the North Park Apartments, providing access to groceries, cooked food, and other essentials.
“Living up here, transportation has always been a tough situation for people as far as getting on and off the hill,” Gray said. “And in bad weather, whether you have a car or not, I’ve seen people get stuck. I want to provide an option to make it easier for people to get the things they need.”
Gray knows firsthand how life in North Park will benefit from a corner grocery store. While Gray grew up in East Wheeling, with options like Neely’s and Convenient close by to provide necessities, he moved with his family to North Park prior to graduating from Wheeling Central.
“I could run to the store with a list from my grandma and get everything she needed,” Gray recalled from his time in East Wheeling. “That’s what I grew up with.”
Giving Back
When Gray and his family moved to Eagle Avenue in North Park, they saw the contrast between a neighborhood with a store, and one without. He grew up, graduated from Wheeling Central and went on to college and beyond, experiencing success both in his professional, and personal lives.
But as Gray experienced success, his maturation process as a man naturally lead back to his legacy, and how he could help give back to his community. He just needed the right opportunity. That came about when 2 Hawk Court, the proposed site of the future On Deck Corner Store, became available.
Gray did his due diligence, first talking with first ward councilman Chad Thalman, as well as his neighbors in North Park. In fact, the neighbor who will live adjacent to On Deck at 4 Hawk Court was one of the most vocal in support of the idea.
“He was like ‘sweet, I’m all for it and I’ll be over here to eat too,’” Gray said. “That’s one of the things I love about stores is when I go and feel like I’m a part of it. People can ask ‘why don’t you carry this’ and I’ll write it down and we’ll get it in.
“If you pay attention to what people are saying, they will keep coming back. Make people feel like a part of it.”
Gray is continuing that pursuit now, going around with a petition in support of the project as the parcel will need a zoning variance. He walked and talked with numerous residents of North Park this week and was already halfway to his signature goal with more people to meet and greet.
This is Gray’s passion, looking out for the community and doing right by his neighbors. It’s a way of life that was distilled in him at an early age, both from his family, and community leaders that he looked up to and considered mentors.
“I don’t care where you are in life, you eventually get to a point where you want to get back, no matter your situation,” Gray said. “The structure we had in my group, we had Mr. Jimmy Page, Mr. Perry Galloway, they were our structure.
“And my grandmother and my parents worked hard to keep us where we were. I had structure, but I grew up with a lot of kids that were less fortunate. But I was still able to bond with them, my parents still loved them.
“I was blessed to be brought up by strong female leaders in the church, loving people. I felt like it was bred in me that I never wanted to be anywhere but here and wanted to give back.”
Man of Change
Gray is also a member of the Men of Change, a Wheeling-based community group whose mission is to “empower, uplift, support, and educate our community.”
That mission will also be at the heart of On Deck Corner Store.
More than just providing groceries, Gray wants to bring together all his resources and contacts to help give people a helping hand, a leg up when needed.
For example, not everyone has the capacity to make it to the store, even a neighborhood grocery store. That’s why delivery will be offered for disabled and elderly customers. It will also provide employment opportunities to residents, some of whom are severely limited in employment options because of transportation. When work is a mere few minutes walking time away, it breaks down barriers to advancement.
He plans to offer competitive pricing, as well as accept EBT. Gray himself will also be there, serving as a mentor and providing access to local youth to organizations like the Men of Change, Grow Ohio Valley, and other mentoring programs.
Gray knows the positive effects of great role models growing up and he wants to take his turn serving in that capacity. It’s one thing for an adult to swing by once and try to have a positive influence on even one or a group of kids. It’s another when they see that adult every day, living side by side with them. It builds trust and credibility.
“This will provide me here with really getting to know the kids in the community, know their parents, because I’ll see them every day,” Gray said. “We are starting a mentoring program (the Men of Change), and this will allow us to funnel kids to that.
“They’ll see me every day, which makes them more comfortable, at ease.”
Helping Out
Gray is also looking to help out local businesses too. He’s been in talks with Danny Swan at Grow Ohio Valley about offering their produce and products at On Deck. He’s talked with other local businesses in the Ohio Valley about doing the same.
He noted some products can only be found at the market in downtown Wheeling, but now could be available for customers in North Park as well.
Gray is putting on a cookout on October 23rd in the parking lot of the Scottish Rite building from 1-4 p.m. in East Wheeling. The idea is to bring the community together and also help rally support behind On Deck Corner Store, which is sponsoring the event.
He’s also using it as an opportunity to provide some local residents a chance to show off their culinary prowess as they will be able to set up at the cookout. Then, down the road, if they want to pursue opening a restaurant or a food truck, there’s already an established positive groundswell as people were able to sample their talents.
That’s what sets Gray apart. Yes, he wants to rise and be successful, but he wants others to rise with him, and even beyond, to get their own piece of the promise. He’s aware of the struggles that many families work through, and he’s determined to do whatever he can to help out.
“Even if you have a car up here, with gas prices, it’s expensive to drive off the hill and buy groceries,” Gray thought aloud. Say you only have $20 for groceries, but it’ll cost you $10 in gas just to get to and from the store. Now you can only buy $10 worth of groceries. Now (with On Deck) you can buy $20.”
Gray said ideally, he’d like to be open in spring, either during March when his birthday is, or April, the birthday month of his late mother. He’d like the opening date to have added significance. In a perfect world, he’d be open by December, but time and weather seldom cooperate as the fall months turn to winter in the construction industry.
