Small, rural grocers are at risk of closing due to many factors, one of which is shrinking populations in these areas, reports NPR. Rural communities have been losing residents and therefore customers, making it more difficult to stay afloat.
"So as small towns get smaller, that means fewer sales coming in the door for our grocery store," said Rial Carver, program leader for the Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University.
USDA data finds that 76 counties across the country are without a single grocery store, 34 of which are in the Midwest and Great Plains regions. The lack of grocery options means that these regions have less access to healthy foods, like fresh fruit and vegetables.
Big box stores have added additional pressure on local grocers.
"These independent, small-town stores don't have as much buying power as some of the larger chains that you'll find in urban areas," said Carver.
This local grocery dearth has caused various communities to step up. In Emerson, Nebraska, for example, the community’s only grocery store closed, compelling the 824 residents to come together to raise money for a new, cooperatively-owned market, Post 60 Market.
Manager of the Emerson Market, Brian Horak, believes that friendliness and cleanliness will help keep its local market in business. “I mean you get the Walmarts and Hy-Vees and stuff like that, but they're not gonna know you by name. We're gonna know you by name. We're gonna know what you want."
Carver agrees that innovation can help keep rural grocery stores afloat. Full Story
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