Shoppers dread loss of grocery store
City working to find a solution
By Earl Horlykehorlyk@siouxcityjournal.com | Posted: Friday, January 02, 2009
Marvin Gaines, left, and DaVonte Fields carry groceries from the Fareway Store at 1730 Pierce St., Wednesday. They said they live a few blocks away. The company announced it will close the store within six months. (Sioux City Journal photo by Jerry Mennega)
SIOUX CITY-- Fareway Foods has notified the 60 employees at its 1730 Pierce St. location that the store will close in the next six months.
"Our decision wasn't based on poor performance," company CEO Richard Beckwith said Wednesday. "Rather, the facility was just too small for our needs."
But for customer Sally Smith, who walks with a cane, losing a store that is convenient in both size and location will prove to be a hardship.
"You don't realize how big some stores are until you discover that you're not as mobile as you used to be," she said.
"I know the people who work here, and I know where everything's at," she said. "I'm sure going to miss it when they close it down."
Boone, Iowa-based Fareway owns 95 groceries in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota, including four in Sioux City --
at 2323 Transit Ave., 4016 Indian Hills Drive and 4040 War Eagle Drive, in addition to Pierce Street. Fareway leases the Transit Avenue and Pierce Street stores.
"When our Pierce Street store first opened in 1982, Fareway had a much smaller footprint," Beckwith said. "The trend now is towards bigger facilities."
Speaking at City Manager Paul Eckert's weekly press conference Wednesday morning, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Rixner called Fareway's decision "extremely disappointing."
"My family shops at this store because of the commitment they've had to keep a store in the neighborhood," he said.
Pointing out that the grocery store is in the middle of two urban renewal areas where millions of dollars in neighborhood revitalization has already been spent, Eckert said many residents walk to Fareway to buy groceries.
"We know this will be a hardship for many of our citizens and because of this, the city is committed to working with local and regional grocery alternatives," he said.
Shopper Bev Hinds also said Fareway's closing will have a detrimental effect on the neighborhood.
"I'm lucky because I have a car," she said, "but many people in the downtown and midcity area do not. With all of the apartments and lofts springing up downtown, a grocery store within walking distance or a short drive becomes increasingly important."
Beckwith said no official closing date has been set but added that he encouraged the affected employees to apply at one of the chain's three other Sioux City locations,
"We wanted to give both our employees and our customers plenty of notice so they could plan accordingly," he said.
City community development director Patty Heagel hopes the window of time will allow the city to work with Fareway executives to come up with a solution.
"Obviously, Sioux City has a successful model in helping to stabilize neighborhoods," she said. "We have been able to sustain them for decades to come. We believe there is a market share on the near north side."
Journal staff writer Lynn Zerschling contributed to this report.
At a glance
What: The Fareway grocery store at 1730 Pierce St. is scheduled to close in the next six months.
Why: The company has outgrown the space.
Why it matters: It may create a hardship for customers who walk to the store to buy food.
"Our decision wasn't based on poor performance," company CEO Richard Beckwith said Wednesday. "Rather, the facility was just too small for our needs."
But for customer Sally Smith, who walks with a cane, losing a store that is convenient in both size and location will prove to be a hardship.
"You don't realize how big some stores are until you discover that you're not as mobile as you used to be," she said.
"I know the people who work here, and I know where everything's at," she said. "I'm sure going to miss it when they close it down."
Boone, Iowa-based Fareway owns 95 groceries in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois and Minnesota, including four in Sioux City --
at 2323 Transit Ave., 4016 Indian Hills Drive and 4040 War Eagle Drive, in addition to Pierce Street. Fareway leases the Transit Avenue and Pierce Street stores.
"When our Pierce Street store first opened in 1982, Fareway had a much smaller footprint," Beckwith said. "The trend now is towards bigger facilities."
Speaking at City Manager Paul Eckert's weekly press conference Wednesday morning, Mayor Pro Tem Jim Rixner called Fareway's decision "extremely disappointing."
"My family shops at this store because of the commitment they've had to keep a store in the neighborhood," he said.
Pointing out that the grocery store is in the middle of two urban renewal areas where millions of dollars in neighborhood revitalization has already been spent, Eckert said many residents walk to Fareway to buy groceries.
"We know this will be a hardship for many of our citizens and because of this, the city is committed to working with local and regional grocery alternatives," he said.
Shopper Bev Hinds also said Fareway's closing will have a detrimental effect on the neighborhood.
"I'm lucky because I have a car," she said, "but many people in the downtown and midcity area do not. With all of the apartments and lofts springing up downtown, a grocery store within walking distance or a short drive becomes increasingly important."
Beckwith said no official closing date has been set but added that he encouraged the affected employees to apply at one of the chain's three other Sioux City locations,
"We wanted to give both our employees and our customers plenty of notice so they could plan accordingly," he said.
City community development director Patty Heagel hopes the window of time will allow the city to work with Fareway executives to come up with a solution.
"Obviously, Sioux City has a successful model in helping to stabilize neighborhoods," she said. "We have been able to sustain them for decades to come. We believe there is a market share on the near north side."
Journal staff writer Lynn Zerschling contributed to this report.
At a glance
What: The Fareway grocery store at 1730 Pierce St. is scheduled to close in the next six months.
Why: The company has outgrown the space.
Why it matters: It may create a hardship for customers who walk to the store to buy food.
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