Twin Cities Loses Independent Grocer
As regional chains expand their footprint in the Twin Cities, one longtime independent grocer is calling it quits. On June 27, Cooper's Foods near downtown St. Paul, Minn., closed its doors after 32 years in business.
The family that operates the grocery store shuttered its original location in Chaska, Minn., last spring. That Cooper’s Foods store dated back more than a century.
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“It was a difficult decision, but I am 76 and Gary is 77,” co-owner Sandy Cooper told a local newspaper. “There is certainly upkeep and work that needs to be done at the store. We just do not have the energy or financial means to continue at the store.” Gary Cooper’s grandfather started the business in 1917.
The store’s Facebook page thanked customers for their patronage over the years. “On behalf of the generations of the Cooper family and the outstanding staff that we have had, we would like to thank the many wonderful customers that have shopped with the Coopers in St. Paul since 1992,” the operators wrote.
Elsewhere in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, other local grocers are widening their reach. Kowalski's Markets opened a new store in Edina in the Southdale Center shopping development in late May and is finishing up another location at the Ridgedale Center area in the suburb of Minnetonka, set to open in 2025. Lunds & Byerlys welcomed shoppers to a new outpost in the fast-growing community of Apple Valley last September.
