Let’s dispel the rumor right away. Deering’s Market in Empire is not closing. It’s 11 a.m. on a Wednesday in July, and Deering’s Market owner Phil Deering is taking chicken out of the fryer, getting things ready for the lunch crowd. The man is working hard. “It’s the way it is,” he comments. “Ya gotta make it in 90 days.” He dumps the chicken into a large metal bin lined with red and white checked paper.