“I grew up scooping turkey manure and driving a tractor.”
Nick Graham, Small Town Grocery Tycoon
Tycoon Nick Blows into Town
Nick Graham is kind of a big deal in small town grocery stores. Where others are throwing in the towel and shuttering stores, he’s buying them up and keeping local communities supplied. At 21 years old, Graham might be considered a youngster, but he’s an old hand in the grocery business. He bought his first store in Minnesota when he was 17, and by the time he sold it two years later he was grossing $100,000 a week. Graham’s empire now includes three stores in small town Iowa. Read the article to see which popular American novel gave Graham the idea for his first business plan.
Students Pitch in to Bring Grocery Store to Town
A grocery store is the lifeblood of a small community. The kids from the Cody-Kilgore Unified Schools in Nebraska get it. A group junior and senior high schoolers from the tiny town of Cody (population 149) traveled to Lincoln to make a pitch to lease land along a popular nature trail so a grocery store can be built. The nearest full-service store is 40 miles away. As the students put it, the store would attract people to their community and provide jobs for both adults and after-school workers. These students are pretty smart cookies.
Need to Help Neighbors Burns Strong
After a fire destroyed the only grocery store in Onaga, Kansas (population 683) late last year, residents have been desperate to get a grocery store back in town. With the closest store 45 miles away and winter driving conditions making the trip seem even longer, townspeople were especially concerned for the elderly in their community. The local diner, Wanda’s Country Cooking, stepped up to the plate to help out. They set up a makeshift grocery store in their restaurant and stock it with necessities picked up in town three times a week. The manager says the store has been good for business but, like everyone else, she’ll be glad when a full-fledged grocery store is back in town.
No comments:
Post a Comment