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Store's Doors Closing in Bristol: Month or so Needed to Liquidate Its Inventory

Posted on: Tuesday, 11 April 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Emily Arthur, American News, Aberdeen, S.D.

Apr. 11--Shareholders of the Community Store in Bristol voted Monday night to close the grocery store's doors after they had tried for months to keep it afloat.

Jim Peterson, president of the board, said 33 people voted to close while 14 wanted to remain open.

"The conclusion was that anything we tried would just be a band-aid," Peterson said.

The store, which is located in a Main Street building owned by the community, has been open eight years. It has relied heavily on volunteers over the years, but an increase in electric and heating costs have made it hard to survive the last few years. Peterson said the store had been losing money.

There are 129 shareholders, but only 47 cast a vote at Monday's meeting. Peterson said about 60 people attended the meeting.

"It's kind of disappointing to me that we didn't have more of the shareholders there, but a lot of them live out of town," Peterson said. "I don't think some of the people there voted either."

Options -- such as renting out a portion of the store to share in the expenses or raising money through fundraising -- were discussed, but in the end, the vote was to close.

Peterson said the next step is to begin liquidating inventory. The store won't be ordering any more supplies. Peterson said he thinks it will take about a month to get rid of everything through sales. In the meantime, the board will begin collecting on outstanding bills. Rob Duerre, a shareholder from Bristol, said the hope is to break even.

"If not, the shareholders will have to come up with the money," he said. "We'll do it, but we're hoping it will work out."

Peterson said the closing is going to hurt Bristol, a town that's still reeling from the school closing two years ago. Other businesses, including the hardware store and the South Dakota Made store, have been forced to close because of a decrease in business.

"It's just bad all around," Peterson said of the Community Store's closing. "It was more than a store. It was a community gathering place."

Duerre, who voted for the close, said it's important to look at the positive.

"The store worked for seven and a half years," he said. "You look at most towns this size and the majority of them don't have a grocery store. It just wasn't working anymore."

Reporter Emily Arthur; (605) 622-2314 or 1-800-925-4100 ext. 314; earthur@aberdeennews.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, American News, Aberdeen, S.D.

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Source: American News (Aberdeen, S.D.)

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