In the West Central Tribune, we read positive news for small towns in Tom Cherveny's article, Island Market shows viability of local ownership:
Rural grocery stores do not have to go the way of the iconic red barn and disappear one by one from the Main Streets of small towns.
The community of Bird Island (pop. 1,042) is 11 months into its venture to show how a rural grocery store can remain viable under a local ownership model, and it has caught attention. The community hosted more than 40 visitors on Tuesday — including small-town grocers from as far as North Dakota — to look at ways for rural grocery stores to remain resilient in the face of today's economic challenges. Sponsored by the Southwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership and University of Minnesota Extension, the all-day event had the Island Market in Bird Island as its star. . . .
The Island Market opened Oct. 1 under its new ownership. An 11-month run is too short of a time frame to make any bold predictions, but the early signs are encouraging for the store's future, according to the new owners.
The store appears to be cash flowing, Diekman said. A lack of detailed sales records from previous years makes it hard to fully evaluate the financial performance, he explained.
The new owners set a goal of increasing sales by 10 percent. To date they are running 13 to 14 percent above the previous year, according to Susan Peterson, who along with her brothers Kevin Sheehan and Brian Sheehan, are among the original investors.
They have greatly expanded the store's inventory, possibly doubling the overall selection available, according to Diekman. It means that Bird Island residents continue to enjoy access to fresh produce and other foods.
Read the entire article at the Tribune.
For more about the effort to keep small town groceries vital, check out Kathy Draeger 'early January op-ed piece for the Star Tribune, In Minnesota, grocery options are actually a mixed bag, and our post, Food access: will Minnesota's legislature leave small town grocers and consumers behind?
Photo: A sign in the store. Photo by Tom Cherveny.
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