KENNEBUNK — Stop & Shop patrons can be a vocal bunch ”“ especially with the store facing closure at the end the month, a development that still has many in shock.

Christina Conway, who has been a customer at the Kennebunk supermarket since it came to the area, has decided to shake off the surprise and take action, organizing a petition effort to save the store.

Time will tell whether Conway’s efforts will bear fruit, but, as she said while manning her post on Thursday, “At least we’re doing something.”

Thursday marked the second day in a row that Conway and her friend, fellow volunteer Elinor Fontaine, have stood inside the entrance to the store soliciting signatures from customers as they walk out. So far, the response has been positive; the pair managed to get 230 signatures on Wednesday, and were well on their way to another productive day by late-morning Thursday.

“I’ve heard people mention to me that they think it’s so great what we’re doing here,” said Fontaine. “People fought for quite a few years to have this store.”

When Conway first got the idea to start a petition, she wasn’t quite sure how to go about doing it. But, as sometimes happens in smaller towns, she knew someone who knew someone who knew someone. And that last someone hooked her up with Maine Senator Nancy Sullivan.

“She helped me word it,” said Conway, citing Sullivan as a major help in getting her started.

Store management, for their part, was thrilled to have someone fighting to keep the store.

“I wanted to get their permission,” said Conway, “(and) it only took a couple of days. Management has been extremely welcoming. They want the attention on this.

“We need a supermarket,” she said. “That’s why I’m doing this.”

Kennebunk Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said Thursday he wasn’t sure if the petition would have much of an effect; the wheels are in motion to have the store shut down by the end the month, and Tibbetts said that the building may be gone by the first week of December.

But as unlikely as it may be that the petition will have the desired effect, “If she gets 5,000 signatures and sends it to the president of the company,” said Tibbetts, “then maybe (something will happen).”

He said the town may be willing to make a gesture that would help Conway’s voice be heard.

“The town would send a letter of support,” said Tibbetts.

Once Stop & Shop closes its door for good, grocery options in Kennebunk would be limited, as reaching other supermarkets requires a considerable drive for some.

“I’m one of those seniors who doesn’t like to go out on the ice,” said Fontaine. “I’m just very comfortable right here.”

Conway said that it’s a 20-minute drive to the next closest supermarket, a drive that becomes complicated whenever it’s necessary to bring her small child along.

“I have a toddler I have to keep in the back seat,” she said. “I love the convenience of having a store here.”

Conway will be asking for signatures until the middle of next week, at which time she plans on mailing copies of the petition to Stop & Shop’s corporate headquarters.

“We’re hoping they’re going to reconsider,” said Conway. “I’m setting a good example as a parent, too. I’m showing them to fight for what you believe in.”

— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 319, or at jlagasse@journaltribune.com.