The long-closed Harris-Teeter store near Bethany Beach will be purchased by the Hocker family.
The Coastal Point newspaper said the family that operates markets in Clarksville and Ocean under the G.&E and Hockers names View have reached an agreement to buy the Salt Pond location.
A prominent Republican state legislator, state Sen. Gerald Hocker, heads the family business. Hocker has been a strong advocate for small business in the state.
He has said on more than one occasion that starting the family business would not be possible in the current business climate.
Hocker told Coastal Point that the business will focus on the summer rush while making plans for the new store.
The Hockers are well versed in running grocery stores in the coastal Sussex market.
Harris-Teeter is now part of grocery behemoth Kroger. The chain has focused on upscale markets and redevelopment locations in cities like Baltimore and Washington, D.C. The company continues to operate supermarkets in Millsboro and Selbyville.
The Hocker stores work to balance out the ups and downs of the market by operating hardware departments and gas pumps at the stores.
