A 29-year-old software engineer bought a small-town grocery store in Texas

Sam Stavinoha bought the French Co. Grocer in Marathon, an unincorporated town of four hundred about forty miles north of Big Bend National Park , Texas , in 2019 .

He bought the business for $ 228,377 , though Roberts maintained ownership of the building, which he leased from her.

In a small town this isolated, access to food can be a problem.

The French Co. became a rare source of entertainment and connection in a town where both were in short supply.

For many the events quickly became the store’s main draw; the groceries at the store are too expensive for many of the locals to afford.

For younger newcomers such as Mary Beth Schaefer and Cole Altom , the store provided a bridge across generations and walks of life.

Stavinoha sued Roberts in February , seeking relief from what the suit described as her attempts to “prevent him from exercising a contractual obligation to purchase the building” The correct pronunciation of “Marathon” is a matter of some dispute.

“The people who say Marathun will make you [feel] wrong for saying Marathon ,” said Roberts , who says it the “wrong way.