The Nevada community of Laughlin south of Las Vegas lost its only grocery store last week reportedly because of inventory shortages, but its neighbor across the Colorado River — Bullhead City, Arizona — has plenty of options for both communities.
Bullhead City serves as a regional hub for the Mohave Valley and southern Nevada and with retails options such as Sam's Club, Safeway, Smith's and Walmart.
The area is far from being a food desert, said Toby Cotter, Bullhead city manager. But last week, Laughlin's only grocery store, Aldape's Marketplace, closed in part due to inventory shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Las Vegas Review-Journalreported.
Cotter said the Bullhead and Laughlin communities have always been intertwined and even before the grocery store’s closure, Laughlin residents came over for more shopping options, and Bullhead’s hospitals and pharmacies.
Although Laughlin is only 14 minutes away from Bullhead City, Aldape's closure does put carless residents in a tough spot. Cotter said Laughlin's public transportation service is offering rides to Bullhead City grocers. Cotter's city is currently working with Clark County in southern Nevada to build a new bridge across the Colorado River.
“Clark County intends to bid out the bridge this summer. While it's not an immediate relief, there is another bridge being built to further connect our two communities," Cotter said.
Bullhead City is also working on developing more amenities closer to Laughlin residents, Cotter said.
