Several years have passed since Iola has had a local grocery store to call its own — a loss that has not gone unnoticed by local woman Mary Ross.
Ross has begun petitioning for reinstatement of a local grocery store.
She is not alone. Ross, along with Allen County Farm Bureau’s County Coordinator Debbie Bearden and John Ross, Mary’s husband, went to the Rural Grocers Initiative Summit in Manhattan two weeks ago.
The trip to the summit was made possible by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. “The organization permitted us to use some funding we had and reallocate it to allow them to go,” Thrive grant writer John Robertson said.
“The summit taught us that if we work as a community we can have a grocery store,” Ross said. “No matter how big or how small.”
Iola does have a Walmart but Ross doesn’t think the superstore is meeting the needs of the community. She suspects that Walmart has been raising prices on goods because of the lack of competition, a suspicion Walmart’s general manager, Jeff Livingston, denies.
“Chanute has a Walmart with competitors and our prices are not higher than theirs,” Livingston said. “If there is then let us know.”
Another challenge Walmart presents is its size. “There are some people, like the elderly or the mobility challenged, who cannot be on their feet for 45 minutes,” Ross said.
In addition, Walmart doesn’t have a clerk readily available to assist with carrying out their groceries.
“We have benches throughout the store,” Livingston said. “And if someone needs assistance with going to the other side of the store and picking up a gallon of milk or help with carrying out their groceries, they just have to ask and we will call someone up.”
Iola’s Walmart is striving to become more involved in the community. In a few weeks Walmart will set up an educational booth at the Allen County Farmer’s Market.
“This is not a bash on Walmart,” Ross said. “I just want the Mayberry feel again. Where you walked in and they said ‘hi’ and knew your name.” (GOOD PULL QUOTE)
Roughly 317 signatures have been attained.
“I will get as many as I can get,” Ross said.
