The streets of Wilmington's Hedgeville neighborhood are eerily quiet.

The usual flow of residents into Sunrise Groceries on Chestnut and South Franklin has slowed to a trickle.

Corner stores found in many of Wilmington's neighborhoods are often the life force of those communities, whose residents have limited access to traditional grocery stores.

And these stores have not been immune to the coronavirus outbreak.

One longtime Hedgeville resident who goes by "Pop" is worried about the impact on his neighborhood.

Days into Delaware's "stay at home" order, he said the neighborhood has been quiet. He hasn't seen many people go into the corner store.

"It's messed up," Pop said on Wednesday afternoon. "I hope it gets better."

Inside Sunrise Groceries, owner Raman Kumar wiped down surfaces and shelves crowded with soda, food, candy and cleaning supplies.

Kumar, who wears gloves and a handkerchief over his face, has seen a big drop in sales since the coronavirus pandemic began.

"People are scared and worried," said Kumar.

He reduced Sunrise Groceries' hours, but like most corner convenience stores in the city, plans to stay open.

In South Wilmington, Floyd Flamer smoked a cigarette outside KNF Market Store on New Castle Avenue.

Flamer has lived in Wilmington his whole life and remembers when some of the corner stores first opened.

He comes to KNF Market daily, often helping to take out the trash.

"If this wasn't here, people would have to go further to get food," Flamer said.

The street is lined with rowhouses.

A firehouse and liquor store are down the block.

The next closest corner store is blocks away and isn't as popular as KNF Market Store, Flamer said.

Inside KNF, a handful of customers picked up items in the narrow aisles and asked for food to be cooked.