Members of Our Town Utica Investments, LLC and Pac ‘N’ Save managers pose after the ribbon cutting for the new store in Utica Feb. 4. Pictured are, from left: (front row) Tim Folkerts, Max Tomes, Sam Tomes, Nancy Greckel, Ruth Olson, Betty Dittmar, Paul Mueller and Rick Endicott; and (back row) Chad Folkerts, Ron Tomes, Deb Tomes, Mark Greckel, Don Olson, Garry Dittmar, Linda Stuhr and LaVern Stuhr.
Ron Tomes and Mark Greckel ran out of eggs while making pancakes at a Knights of Columbus event. The two Utica men found themselves going door-to-door in order to find enough eggs to finish their task.
“I looked at Mark and I said, ‘I know Utica could support a grocery store and I don’t know why we can’t do something like that,’” Tomes said. “He goes, ‘I’m thinking the same thing.’”
Tomes and Greckel are two of the 10 members of Our Town Utica Investments, LLC, a group that is responsible for constructing a building that is now home to Utica’s Pac ‘N’ Save store. The store held its grand opening Feb. 5.
“We were without a grocery store for at least a year and a half,” Don Olson, another member of the LLC, said. “We think it’ll be a real benefit to the community and the surrounding area.”
The LLC owns the building at 620 D Street, which Pac ‘N’ Save leases from the company. The process started about a year ago. The LLC held its first meeting Feb. 7, 2012, and five couples invested in the company. There are 10 members in the LLC. They are Mark Greckel and Nancy Greckel, Garry and Betty Dittmar, Don and Ruth Olson and LaVern and Linda Stuhr.
“I was working at the elevator one day, Mark [Greckel] comes in and says, ‘What are you doin’?’ I said, ‘Nothing.’” LaVern Stuhr said. “He said, ‘Get in the pickup,’ So I got in and he said, ‘Would you be interested in going in on a grocery store?’ I said, ‘Yeah, I’d go along with it.’”
Store manager Tim Folkerts said Pac ‘N’ Save is excited to provide customers with the opportunity to shop locally.
“We’re trying to get the word through the community that we are going to do whatever it takes to make this work,” he said.
The store’s hours will be 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Folkerts said a variety of products will also be available upon customers’ requests if the store does not carry them already.
“With us having another grocery store 15 minutes away, we have the ability to bring other items in the store in a short period of time,” he said. “Our goal is to use the three stores that we have to buy things in bulk so we’re allowed to sell them at a cheaper price to the customers.”
The Utica store’s prices will be the same as the Seward store’s, he said. Folkerts said the store is hoping to bring in business from the surrounding communities as well.
“Beaver Crossing, Cordova, Waco, Gresham — you know, even people from York,” he said. “We’re trying to cover a wide span of ground to make it convenient for everybody.”
Nancy Greckel said she thought the Utica store is the only grocery store in the Centennial School District.
“All of our little towns and surrounding communities have lost their stores,” she said.
Garry Dittmar said having the store open until 8 p.m. during the week is a benefit for those who commute to work.
“That lets the people that work out of town know they can come home and buy groceries,” he said.
Olson said the First Bank of Utica has been very supportive as well as the village board, which set up a Tax Increment Financing program for the LLC. Funding was also made available by the Southeast Nebraska Economic Development committee, he said.
Tomes said having residents shopping their hometown grocery store will increase the town’s value.
“They really won’t realize how much value they’re bringing to this town just by supporting their own grocery store,” he said. “Property will be worth something if there’s a grocery store.”
