Small Town Grocers in Iowa: What Does the Future Hold?

Abstract

This publication is intended for communities struggling with declining retail and the loss of a grocery store. Across the state, small communities are losing their grocery stores at a rapid rate. Economic conditions force some stores to shut down and still others try to find potential buyers but are eventually forced to close as well. Small grocers face myriad pressures that make their existence and future tenuous. Small town residents fear the closing of the local grocery store for economic reasons as well as quality of life issues. This report looks at the factors influencing the viability of grocery stores as well as the impacts on communities and residents when the store is lost. Data and analysis are presented with suggestions for communities trying to maintain a grocery store as well as means of coping for towns that have already lost their local grocery.