Like any well-orchestrated production, Wednesday’s official groundbreaking of G&W Foods on the site of the old hospital had many players whose combined roles put together an impressive performance.
A handful of those players spoke at the gathering, while traffic along U.S. 54 drove past, sometimes contributing a supportive honk or two.
The ceremonial turning of the hard-packed ground came with the news that G&W plans to begin construction in four to six weeks.
“Let’s hope,” said Chris O’Hara, chief operating officer of the Missouri-based enterprise. O’Hara noted the Iola store is the first in more than 20 years for G&W to build “from the ground up, and we’re very excited about this.
“Iola has done an amazing job to make this happen,” O’Hara said.
G&W Foods operates more than 40 groceries in three states.
That Iola is getting a new stand-alone grocery store is a testimony of people with vision and willingness to take risks, said David Toland, executive director of Thrive Allen County who also serves as an economic development director for Iola, Allen County and Iola Industries.
It’s been since 2008 that Country Mart grocery closed its doors, leaving Iola with only Walmart, a fact that has not set well with many.
The effort to attract a new market started with a groundswell of support from many people including Mary Ross who canvassed the town with a petition to seek support.
“Going door to door talking to strangers put me way out of my comfort zone,” Ross told the gathering. But in the end, she and her husband, John, had secured more than 800 signatures showing widespread support.
Debbie Bearden, a local force with the weekly Farmers Market, said her desire for a stand-alone grocery was to bring a wider array of healthy food for local citizens. Allen County is ranked in the bottom tier of Kansas counties when it comes to having enough opportunities for fresh food, she said. Such communities are called “food desserts.”
Bearden said she became aware of G&W groceries when she and her husband, Duwayne, sold eggs during the winter at G&W Foods in Chanute and Yates Center.
“They are a grocery store that knows how to serve a rural community and sees the value of access to healthy food,” Bearden.
Jerry Daniels, chairman of the Allen County Commission, said more housing, more jobs and a new grocery have been the three main concerns he has heard from constituents.
Daniels looked around as he spoke, pointing to the new Eastgate Lofts apartments directly behind him and over to the line of gold shovels arranged for the groundbreaking ceremony.
“Here, we’ve done all three,” he said. “More housing and a new grocery will help bring more jobs to Allen County.”
Longtime Iola Ed Miller talked of how the site has come full circle over his lifetime.
“I grew up not far from here, when there were grocery stores every few blocks,” he said. In the immediate area, Miller recalled the days of Robinson Grocery, Milne & Mann tire company and Marty’s gas station nestled among a close-knit neighborhood.
“Of course, those were the days before zoning,” he said.
U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran was the feather in the cap for Wednesday’s ceremony. Moran commended Iola’s efforts at economic development, recognizing the hard work necessary to just hold on to basic things like grocery stores.
“That’s something my colleagues in Washington, D.C. can’t fathom,” he said.
Coming full circle: Throngs greet G&W
