FRYBURG, Pa. (EYT) — Jeanie Jo’s, a local store previously operated as PJ’s Country Market and Sara Jane’s Deli, is undergoing a summer of turmoil and is looking for help from the local community.

Lindsey Fenstermaker, owner of the Route 208 Fryburg store since September of 2021, says that it “started back in May when we had a power outage for a day and a half.” That hiccup cost her $8,000.00 worth of inventory, of which insurance only covered a portion.

“I had to throw away all of our produce and meat. I lost everything in my coolers, including my deli and dairy products. It was basically like starting from scratch all over again.” Fenstermaker said.

If that wasn’t enough, on July 9 the well went dry.

“I had water in the morning, but when I went to wash some dishes later, I had no water,” Fenstermaker mentioned. “I checked all the things I knew to check, and none of it was the problem.”

Once Fenstermaker contacted a water well service, a burnt-out pump was replaced, but only produced water for a few minutes. The well is dry, so the only option for Jeanie Jo’s at this location would be to drill a new well.

“I got a couple estimates for that, and it comes to about $26,000.00, not including the engineering fees.”

Without water, Jeanie Jo’s cannot produce bestsellers such as cookies, cakes, bologna, jerky, salads, deli meats and cheeses, pizzas, and subs. Only pre-packaged goods are available for sale.

Fenstermaker is keeping the store open the best she can to sell these goods in order to stay afloat.

Jeanie Jo’s posted a Go Fund Me to help keep the lights on and to continue whatever inventory is possible in the store.

“After the news I got today, it is our official goal to move locations due to the inability to resolve the water issues with the DEP and other responsible parties.”

Most of Jeanie Jo’s employees have lost their hours.

“I’m losing thousands of dollars a day not being able to do what I need to do, but I’m lucky enough to have a great team behind me. I have the best meat cutter in three counties, and this impacts more than just me. They’re suffering, too. They have bills to pay,” Fenstermaker said.

The priority for Jeanie Jo’s is to stay in the area.

“We have a great community here, and they want us here. That’s a big reason why I can’t just walk away. They’re just so phenomenal.”

There will also be a fundraising event on August 20 at the Fryburg Sportsman’s Club.

“We’ll have both top pavilions reserved along with cornhole and horseshoe tournaments and plenty of food. We are also looking for a band to be cheap, or even better, donate their time for the evening.”

More details on the fundraising event will be released at a later date.

Regardless of the current situation, Fenstermaker remains hopeful for the future of Jeanie Jo’s.

“I would like to expand our meats and get even more local products in (my store). My ultimate goal is to get as much local stuff as I possibly can.”

“There are a lot of places with a lot of great things to offer, and I think in this current economic era that we’re in, supporting local is super important.”

To contribute to Jeanie Jo’s Go Fund Me Campaign, click here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/jeanie-jos-stay-afloat.