2 More Fields Foods 'Pause' Operations as Others See Shelves Grow Empty

Two more stores in the local Fields Foods chain are now closed to shoppers — and shelves are shockingly empty even at the locations that remain open.

Both the Fields Foods near the edge of Forest Park, at 303 DeBaliviere, and the one in Dogtown, at 3500 Clayton Avenue, now have signs on the doors saying they are in a "temporary pause." For the Dogtown location on Clayton, that is effective today, and shelves inside the store show some items on offer.

The DeBaliviere location, however, apparently began its pause on July 31, and the shelves that can be seen from the large street-facing windows are now entirely empty, with even dry goods no longer taking up shelf space. The store first opened in February.

The fate of the local grocery chain has seemed increasingly uncertain in recent weeks. Owner Chris Goodson has said he is hoping to sell to a group of employees. However, the last month has seen several lawsuits against his company, and the Pagedale store — a collaboration with a local nonprofit — shuttered unceremoniously just months after it opened.

Goodson told the St. Louis Business Journal on Thursday he still hopes to sell but that plans are "fluid." The paper noted that Fields' Central West End store has also closed, though it didn't give timing on that and was not yet aware of the closure on DeBaliviere.

Our reporters found shelves at two other outlets in a bad state on Monday morning. The Lafayette Square flagship has suffered from declining inventory for nearly a month now, and while the downtown store was in better shape, it too is missing many products.

We reached out to Fields and will update this post if we hear back. Scroll down for more photos.