By Miles Layton

Because Carlie C’s IGA is considering coming to Edenton, my son, Robert, and I traveled to the grocery store chain’s closest location in Washington. 

We wanted to see what this store had to offer — very happy. Nice! See a gallery of photos at the end of our story.

Carlie C’s IGA operates more than 30 stores across North Carolina, with the closest locations in Washington, Chocowinity and Tarboro. The regional chain is known for its full-service meat department, where butchers cut meat in-house, as well as its scratch-made bakery and deli. The proposed store would become the anchor tenant in Edenton Village Shopping Center, where Tractor Supply opened in late 2025, and Dollar Tree is expected to open later this summer.

Disclosure — some people go to ball parks or boat shows, I go to a lot of grocery stores to look around and compare prices, store appearance, customer service and even the wheels on shopping carts. My first job was as a customer service clerk, later as a produce department clerk, at the Fresh Market. I love grocery stores, so I notice a lot more than most people because I’ve had to stock the shelves, clean the floors, handle the cash registers on snow days, endure freezer duty and even core the pineapples. 

And it must be said — I enjoy shopping at Food Lion too. We shop there every evening, looking for deals and embracing the community. This story is not meant to be a comparison, but what I saw and experienced at Carlie C’s IGA. 

So much to say about that store, where to begin!? Parking lot – carts were not near there and everywhere. The store had a clean exterior appearance – nothing that screamed ’70s architecture. 

We walked inside – floors clean, no cracked tiles or weird skid marks, bright lights – then made our way to the produce section, closed off with cool temps, and shelves stocked with a good selection of fresh produce. Watermelon – definitely need watermelon this time of year – was plentiful. 

Click photos to enlarge

Dessert section – top notch – huge selection of cakes, cookies and all sorts of stuff. Half cakes were available for those of us who know they can never eat a whole cake without help. Good prices for various sizes and types of desserts – $4 to $20 or so.  

There was a multi-layer chocolate cake, a big one, that reminded me of the handmade Smith Island cakes, the official state dessert of Maryland. I would’ve bought the cake on the spot, but it was 99 degrees outside, and that return drive back to Edenton would not have been kind to the cake.  

We then entered the deli section, where there was a food bar! They had salad and fried fish – there was a lot of other stuff, but that’s what caught my eye. Attracted by the affordable prices and food selection, I tend to buy lunch at IGA when I can find these stores – great mashed potatoes and gravy, large chicken tenders, sizeable servings of green beans, etc. 

Meat section – top-notch meat selection – different cuts, hand-cut, good prices. Southern tastes – country ham and all sorts of pork offerings. Good-looking steaks — nice marbling.  

Store shelves — very well stocked, lots of variety. Not once did I think, well … that’s out of stock, so I’m going to have to wait til Tuesday when the truck arrives.   

Good bread selection – I bought a loaf of sourdough for around $3.  

Ice cream – Lot of name brands – Breyers, Mayfield, Blue Ribbon to name a few. I wish they had Breyers peach, but they did offer Mayfield’s peaches and cream.  

Beer/wine – I don’t drink, so I didn’t explore that section the same way I would’ve done as I would when I was a college student or overworked, underpaid newspaper editor. That said, single bottles of beer were available at reduced prices, so you could mix and match. And it looks like there was a pretty good selection of wine – not nearly as good as Edenton Bay Trading Company’s offerings, but good enough that you could buy a quality bottle of wine.  

Canned soup selection offered Campbell’s Chunky, Progresso and IGA’s own soup label. I buy a lot of soup from time to time, so I judge a store by its offerings – the wider the variety, the better. No, the store’s soup selection is not as good as the giant Harris Teeter in New Bern or the Fresh Market at the beach, but it’s still OK.  

Random things – I found a dozen deviled eggs, good! Large chuck roasts cut by a butcher. Per the food bar, whole potatoes and I should’ve bought the fried fish – smelled good. Hushpuppies. Chinese food-style fried rice. 

Store aisles were wide and inviting, not tiny or cluttered with boxes. 

Store offers a “rewards” program that’s easy to sign up for and offers price savings.  

Speaking of prices, they depend on what you get, but they’re competitive. I bought a box of cookies – Swiss rolls, if you are curious — 49 cents cheaper. 

Customer service at the cash register was offered with a smile. That made me happy.  

Last thing — flashback to Tuesday night’s meeting, held July 14, when the council voted unanimously to approve the agreement. See our store here.

Council members also adopted the town’s first retail incentive policy, which will serve as a framework for similar agreements going forward.

The two votes mark the most concrete progress yet on an effort that has outlasted several council terms, with residents consistently pushing for another full-service grocery option in town.

To the powers-that-be that are working hard to woo this new store — thanks, much appreciated!  

Click to enlarge photos