Casselton’s Wangler Foods, the last grocery store in town, on the closing block

Wangler Foods, Casselton, ND. (Photo credit: Google Maps)

CASSELTON, N.D. (KFGO) – It’s likely Casselton will lose its only grocery store.

Casselton’s Planning and Zoning Commission approved a required conditional use permit Wednesday that allows the sale of the Wangler Foods building on Front Street. The buyer plans to move a computer, internet, IT sales, and support service business into the building. Whether the sale of the building is finalized is up to the city council, which will make a decision at next week’s meeting.

Fred Wangler has been the owner since 2005. At one time, he owned 5 grocery stores. Wangler says he’s downsizing his businesses but he said closing the Casselton store is a tough decision. He said, “there are many older customers, we have an excellent staff that bends over backward to help the customers, we offer in-town delivery service, so it’s tough to leave the city without that service.”

Wangler said he lost about 10% of his business when a discount store moved to town, but he said many of his customers returned to his grocery store because of its delivery service and foods not available at the other store.

Former Mayor Ed McConnell, who chairs the planning and zoning commission agrees there’s a big challenge facing the community. He said it may be time to examine the possibility of starting a community-owned grocery store.

Lori Capouch, Rural Development Director for the North Dakota Association of Rural Electric Cooperatives, said they have been tracking the number of rural grocery stores in southeastern North Dakota towns of 2,100 people or less. Ten of the 31 stores are now community-financed and owned solely by local residents.

Another new plan called the Rural Grocery Initiative is expected to launch soon in five Walsh County communities. Capouch said it’s similar to a franchise where grocery items can be purchased online, be delivered in larger volumes to Park River once a week, and from there, delivered to several existing grocery stores or in climate-controlled lockers at locations in Adams and Fordville where there are no grocery stores.

The plan is believed to be the first of its kind in the U.S.