The vacated grocery store in North Judson was a topic of discussion at this week’s Town Council meeting.
It was mentioned in a past meeting that the property on Lane Street is listed for sale. However, some concerns were voiced about the effectiveness of the listing since it’s difficult to find and the North Judson building is bundled into a sale with two other stores in Rensselaer and Francesville.
When members met Monday, Councilman James Young inquired about whether the Starke County Economic Development Foundation has had any luck tracking down potential occupants after Executive Director Larry Wickert said he would look into it.
Wickert said he felt kind of encouraged after hearing some rumblings that a new owner was already set to take over, however, it was noted that might not be true.
Wickert mentioned, “I heard they had somebody who was going to open it back up now I don’t know if that’s true or not. Does anybody know if that’s a fact? I don’t think it is.”
Councilman Josh Brown commented, “I think that’s fake news.”
Wickert said one of the challenges will be finding someone who will be willing to make the necessary upgrades that are needed at the structure.
Director Wickert said he hasn’t had a chance to reach out to any possible leads but would be dedicating some time to that in the near future.
Resident Carol Silhavy weighed in on the matter during the public comment portion of the meeting.
She explained, “If I’m making a recipe and I need a produce item or meat item, it’s 40 mile round trip to Winamac and a 28 mile round trip to Knox to just pick up one or two of items. I consider it to be urgent to get a store back in this town and hopefully in a better building.”
Silhavy said she has seen similar comments echoed on social media and added that she fears the lack of a grocery store will also have a negative impact on attracting new residents to the area.
If anyone has any information that would help move this process along, contact the business owners or reach out to the SCEDF Office at 574-772-5627.
