Since opening former Sun Fresh space in the Linwood Shopping Center, the store has averaged 1,000 transactions a day. Now, its low price, community-focused model is expanding across the state line.

Deborah Phillips walked up to the automatic sliding glass doors of the Sun Fresh in the Blue Parkway Shops on Oct. 26, only to be disappointed. The grocery store had closed for good the night before, citing “declining sales and rising operating costs.” Phillips works down the street and would often come by the store…