Open For Business

TABOR - When the only grocery store in Tabor closed in 2014,   police chief Mike Wake and more than two dozen community leaders stepped up to bring back the business they believe is vital to the survival of the close-knit town in Fremont County.

“We could see if it wasn’t going to reopen, it could hurt Tabor a lot,” Wake said. “We just thought if we could get enough money, we’d get it opened and that’s what we’ve done. That’s why the investors did it and why we did it.”

Wake said the store’s reopening wouldn’t have happened without the backing and support of an entire community.

“The Treynor bank wouldn’t wait on us to get an SBA loan or the paperwork done, so a bunch of investors went together and bought the building,” Wake said. “There is a Tabor, Iowa Grocery Forever (TIGF), LLC. They paid for all the upgrades.

“We bought the business inside and we’re buying the building from them (TIGF).”

Wake and his wife Debra own the business with their son, Steven, and his wife Astrid.

Wake has been Tabor’s police chief for 28 years. Debra is a teacher in the Fremont-Mills school system.
Before the store could reopen, a number of significant improvements had to be made to the building at 706 Main St., including a roof replacement and upgrades to  the refrigeration system. The investors and community volunteers stepped up to help.

“We had four or five volunteers in here every day working,” Wake said.
Wake said the store has received a positive reception from Tabor-area residents since opening March 27.

“Everybody seems to be real happy,” Wake said. “We’re doing a pretty fair business. Of course, you always wish you could do better.

“We’re still working on getting the deli completely open. We’ll have salads, hot meals and deli sandwiches. We’ve done some meals for events like family dinners and fundraisers. We cook it and they come in and pick it up.”