Comfrey swoops in to save ailing grocer

When the massive 1998 twister left Comfrey's grocery store in ruins, its owner rebuilt.

But barely a decade later, a downturn in business accomplished what the tornado couldn't, and the store was on the brink of closing.

It was the city that stepped up this time, The Free Press reported. Comfrey decided to operate the store using its Economic Development Authority as a board of directors.

"It was so vital they needed to do whatever they could to keep it open and operating," said Paul Muske, Comfrey's city attorney.

Twice in the past five years the city has operated the store, most recently for about a year. But it was always seen as temporary; vital as the store may be, the city's all-volunteer board couldn't manage a store indefinitely, Muske said.

Thanks to a rent-free building and loans, the business was close to breaking even during its operation by the city.

"Basically, it was a matter of covering operating expenses and building up inventory while they searched aggressively for a new owner," he said.

The city recently found a new owner, as Mike Wegner took over in February. He doesn't have many connections to Comfrey — a friend owns a bar in town — and helming a grocery store in a town of fewer than 400 people wasn't an obvious career move. He's managed an auto parts store in the past but doesn't have grocery experience.

"I kind of hemmed and hawed and talked to my family about it," he said. The Butterfield native ended up realizing he was ready for a change like this. And it was the grocery store's role in the community that played a large role in his decision, he said.

His own hometown hit a setback a few years ago when its long-running grocery store closed.

"When he closed the doors, it was really huge," Wegner said, especially for retired residents.

Building on previous relationships between the University of Minnesota and the city of Comfrey, Wegner visited a 'U' class in March. As it turns out, Wegner has an ally in James Boyd Brent, an associate professor of graphic design.

"I'm very keen on this concept of reviving strong local grocery stores in towns around Minnesota," he said. "On the one hand it harks back to an old idea — a village or town store — but also it is very much about the future."

It's a good opportunity for his students to "engage them with real issues that are completely fundamental to life in Minnesota and possibly a little bit outside their sphere here in the Twin Cities," he said.

His 21 students will be designing posters tailored to Minnesota's different regions. Three of those students will be making posters just for the Comfrey store.

Among the posters' themes: how local, fresh food equates with high quality. They also will touch on how a local grocery store is connected with the community around it.

Those ideas hew closely to Wegner's own principles.

In his first month as owner, he said he's moved to more fresh meat and better produce.

"I'm not a butcher, but I'm learning how to cut different meats," he said.

And while he hopes residents know a local grocery store is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition, he also knows it's a two-way street.

"That means I have to do stuff in town as well," he said. For example, he knows a woman who operates a salon. "That's where I go to get my haircut now."

This is an AP Member Exchange shared by Dan Linehan of The Free Press