ROARING SPRING — A long-standing family business has been sold.

Doug and Jo Ellen Mingle, owners of Roaring Spring True Value, have decided to sell the business to Houchens Food Group Inc.

Roaring Spring True Value, a community cornerstone since 1863, will transition ownership from the Mingle family to HFG on Aug. 21.

In announcing the sale of their business to HFG, Jo Ellen Mingle said it was a priority to find a successor with the expertise, resources and commitment to continue serving southern Blair and Northern Bedford counties.

“We will continue to live in this community and are truly happy to announce that there will be a solid company stepping in after us to build on our long relationship with the area, helping to keep it a wonderful place to live, work, raise families and even retire,” Jo Ellen Mingle said.

“We love being a part of this town. We didn’t run a business here just because we wanted to sell products. We could do that anywhere. We did it here because of the people who come through the doors. They drew my grandfather to this town, kept him here, and convinced my father and me to stay and build on his legacy,” Doug Mingle said. “We are blessed by a caring, capable, and committed staff in a stable and supportive community, and we are confident the store will serve many more generations under its new leadership.”

The Roaring Spring True Value was founded as D.M. Bare & Co. and purchased by A.D. Mingle in 1921. The store has been in the Mingle family for three generations, with Doug and Jo Ellen Mingle leading the business in recent decades, serving generations of customers with various general merchandise and essential services from its location on Route 36.

Known to many as “the Company Store,” it was inducted into the Blair County Chamber of Commerce’s Business Hall of Fame in 2001.

The Houchens Group is honored to become part of the Roaring Spring community and to carry forward the exceptional legacy built by the Mingle family, President Greg Rush said.

“At Houchens, we believe in the power of employee ownership and local service. Our team is committed to preserving the hometown values that have defined this store for generations, while bringing the resources and support needed to help it thrive into the future,” Rush said.

HFG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Houchens Industries Inc., one of the largest and most diversified 100% employee-owned companies in the United States.

Today the Houchens Group has more than 400 locations in 15 states providing value as a local neighborhood market via grocery stores, convenience stores, hardware markets and quick service restaurants.