HIGHLAND, Md. — The space is tight and the lines are long, but every customer at Boarman's Old Fashioned Meat Market shares one thing in common---they were born before the grocery store first opened its doors back in 1955.
"65 and over this morning," said Judy Carr of Laurel as she exited the store with a few bags of groceries.
That's right.
A sign on the front door states that from 11am to 2pm on Monday, only high-risk customers 65 and over would be invited in to shop, many of whom have been shut out due to panic buying over the coronavirus pandemic.
"Sam's Club was a madhouse,” said Terry Rushing of Scaggsville, “Food Lion... madhouse. Weis... madhouse. I had to go out and get groceries for my 91-year-old mother and the stuff she needed and that was tough."
Third-generation grocer, Georgie Boarman, Jr., says with a big delivery scheduled, it was time to put the store's eldest customers first.
"As soon as we opened the door, we were just packed. There was a line around the corner of the store," said Boarman, "These are the people that really need stuff and they really shouldn't be going out so if these big stores don't allow for them, they aren't going to have. They're going to go without."
Oh sure, you may not find toilet paper, hand sanitizers or a few other highly-sought-after items here.
"I didn't get the kind of bread I normally get, but I got bread," Carr assured us.
But its signature fresh meat cuts, farm fresh eggs and a selection of fresh produce brought a sigh of relief from Suzanne Green of Clarksville.
"I'm taking a lot of things to a friend of mine who has to be on dark vegetables and that kind of stuff and all the vegetables were gone in Giant," said Green.
Along with multiple cans of her cat's favorite food, which had nearly been depleted at her home.
"Oh that would have driven us crazy,” laughed Green as she rolled her eyes, “Oh boy."
