Grand opening of Shopko Hometown store in Kasson November 14

Shopko has announced that the construction of a brand new 36,000-square foot Shopko Hometown store located at 301 South Mantorville Avenue in Kasson is complete and  opened to the public on November 10.  A grand opening and ribbon cutting event will take place Friday, November 14 at 8:45 a.m., and the entire community is invited to join the Shopko team and community leaders for the event.
The grand opening event will be highlighted by a $2,500 check presentation to Kasson-Mantorville Schools followed by a $1,000 check presentation to Semcac Community Action Agency from the Shopko Hometown Foundation prior to the ribbon cutting.

“At Shopko Hometown, we want to make each of our store communities a better place to live by supporting schools and 501c3 organizations,” said Peter McMahon, Shopko CEO.  “It is crucial that organizations receive assistance to support the well-being of its Shopko community.”
In addition, the first 100 customers in line will receive a free $10 Shopko gift card.  A number of prizes will also be given out through “register to win” events.  Customers will also be encouraged to sign up for Shopko’s My Extra Savings rewards program to receive exclusive savings each week, 10% off on their birthday and special email announcements and offers.  Every customer who uses their My Extra Savings card on the day of the grand opening will be entered into a drawing for a $1,000 shopping spree. Refreshments will be served inside the store.

“There has been a great deal of excitement in the community about this store opening, so we’re excited to finally be bringing the Shopko Hometown experience to Kasson,” said Peter McMahon, Shopko CEO.  “I’m confident that the community will love what they see and appreciate the great merchandise selection, brands, value and service.  We look forward to being part of the local community for years to come.”

Shopko Hometown combines Shopko’s strong reputation for health services and customer service with a broad and dynamic offering of strong national brands and high-value private label brands of apparel, home furnishings, toys, consumer electronics, seasonal items and lawn and garden products – all in attractive, well laid out, easy-to-shop store format.

“Our pharmacy team is dedicated to meeting the healthcare needs of customers with prompt, friendly, professional service,” said Michelle Malone, R.Ph.  “We are also committed to seeking out innovative ways to serve our customers and make their pharmacy experience as convenient as possible such as our free mobile pharmacy app which customers can use to manage and refill prescriptions anytime from their mobile devices.  The pharmacy also features drive-through service for added convenience for customers.”

The store will be open Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.  Pharmacy hours are Monday – Friday 9 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and closed on Sunday.
Shopko is owned by an affiliate of Sun Capital Partners, Inc., a leading private investment firm focused on leverage buyouts, equity, debt, and other investments in market-leading companies.
About Shopko: Founded in 1962 and headquartered in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Shopko Stores Operating Co., LLC is a $3 billion retailer that operates 320 stores in 21 states throughout the Midwest, Mountain, North Central and Pacific Northwest regions. Retail formats include 133 Shopko stores, providing quality name-brand merchandise, great values, pharmacy and optical services in small to mid-sized cities; 5 Shopko Express Rx stores, a convenient neighborhood drugstore concept; 5 Shopko Pharmacy locations; and 178 Shopko Hometown stores, a smaller concept store developed to meet the needs of smaller communities. For more information, visit
www.shopko.com.

Shop Local

At the Kasson Chamber of Commerce meeting last week there was a brief discussion on how businesses can promote shopping local. Once a month the DCI shopper runs a page with commentary from business people on the importance of shopping locally.

When Superintendent Mark Matuska was hired we met and one of his first questions was, "What can we do for you?", meaning what can the school do for the DCI. Those were refreshing words to hear from someone representing an entity  that frequently asks small town business for donations.

What many people do not realize is that when businesses get local support they are able to do more and put more money back into the community-whether it be for someone in need or one of the numerous booster clubs.

Shop local. Support the local business. Those are tough words to preach to the people who enjoy the benefits of a small community and work in Rochester. To many of them Rochester is shopping local.
I am not sure if it is possible to convince the general population we need their support. My family has been supporting local business and shopping locally whenever possible. I'd be lying If I said we did not do business in the larger community, but we try to purchase local when possible.

"NO" is a tough word for a business person to say when someone walks in asking for a donation. I talked to one business owner who gets requests for donations four to five times a week.

There is  strong community support, but based on the percentage of the people who live here, the numbers are concerning. I know that I am preaching to the wrong people here because, for one, anyone reading this does buy the paper, and that supports our community. The people who should read this don't subscribe to the paper, buy their groceries out of town and purchase hardware at the big box store.

Take a look at the Shop Local section in next week’s shopper and you will see a partial list of donations made by local businesses. With the complete list we could have printed a full page!