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“Nucor keeps us very busy,� said store manager Elise Crank. “We make a lot from them. We’re constantly busy, which is fine with me.�

The store’s deli section also offers prepared meals ready to be consumed on site or for takeout. The store opened in late 2019, about two years before Nucor Corp. announced it would build its Mason County mill.

A mile or so up the road, the new Williams Apple Grove Market had its soft opening Wednesday. It has aisles full of groceries and household goods, and it has a seating section for its deli — six booths, three tables and one children’s section with a table and small play area.

“It’s just going to give people another place to sit down and eat and socialize,� said store manager Karry Cooper.

The deli section is not yet ready to open, but it should be soon, Cooper said.

The store is owned by the Williams family that owns Burlile Petroleum of Gallipolis, Ohio. The family also owns convenience stores in Bidwell and Oak Hill, Ohio, and decided to open another store at Apple Grove, Cooper said.

“They saw an opportunity, and they decided to see how it would go and serve the community,� Cooper said, adding, “we’re not out to fail.�

Williams Apple Grove Market will serve hot food, cold food and cold sandwiches, and it will offer breakfast on weekends, Cooper said.

Larry McComas, who goes by the nickname “Stogie,� does light work at the store — mainly taking care of the grass. He said he delivered groceries when the store was under previous ownership. He retired and came back when the new store opened, he said.

“It’s a good place to loaf out,� he said.

Nucor’s arrival has led to other businesses locating a few miles from Apple Grove. RV parks sprang up to handle the influx of construction workers. Mason County Commissioner Rick Handley said he expects other businesses to locate in the Apple Grove area once the mill goes into operation. He said Nucor bought land to be used by companies that will buy part of the mill’s sheet metal output.

“I think we’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg as to what we will see,� Handley said.

One business Handley would like to see prosper in Mason County is the housing industry. The county has a shortage of townhouses and smaller houses, and it needs more that would appeal to people who will work at Nucor, he said. Developers can make more money building large houses in metro areas such as Columbus, Ohio, and they need to see the opportunities in Mason County, he said.

“It’s a growing area. We just need houses,� Handley said.