Farmers Store sold to ND company

By Anna Jauhola
Adding the Farmers Store to the Miller’s Fresh Foods group was almost sight-unseen for Jeff Miller. He had heard about the store when it was first built in 1995 as he was a SuperValu retailer at the time.
“This always was SuperValu’s new, shiny store model,” he said.
Miller’s Fresh Foods, based in Mayville, N.D., officially took over the 120-year-old Farmers Store on Monday, June 24. The company owns 10 stores in North Dakota, and now two in Minnesota.
The Farmers Store has operated as normal but without its well-known owner, Tom Swanson, who passed away in December 2022. Miller and his team laid the foundation for this change about three months ago. He said a Nasch Finch representative wanted to show him the Hallock store. Miller and his General Manager Torry Reutter drove up, visited with owner Maureen Swanson and came to a decision.
“It was kind of an impulse and quick thing for me,” Miller said with a smile. “I’d always wanted to see the store, but then we sat down and had a nice long visit. I think our goals are the same with customers and how they ran the store for the last 100-plus years. It just seemed like a nice fit for our organization.”
Miller and his team have been visiting for the last few weeks, shoring up final plans and working toward a silent opening. All local employees will retain their positions, Heidi Swenson and Christine Pietruszewski will still co-manage the store, and Miller’s representatives will visit often to provide support.
“Like I told Heidi, welcome to our family. You just gained a lot of brothers and sisters,” Miller said.
The community will notice subtle changes at the store. They will add a Miller’s Fresh Foods sign to the exterior, but he insists the Farmers Store sign will remain front and center above the doors. Inside, Miller is working with Nasch Finch on a new decor package – different paint and decorations, along with new flooring. The aisle configurations will not change, he said.
When they do install flooring, that work will be done at night. Any painting and decor will be done during the day, but shouldn’t interfere with regular operations.
He has no other plans for remodeling.
“The store is in really nice shape. The family did very well with planning this store out, with upgrades in equipment,” he said. “When I first walked into here, my impression was, ‘Man they’ve done a very good job with this. Most small communities are lucky to have anything. But something like this is just unreal.’”
Customers should notice more sales and specials as Miller’s works to coordinate all its stores’ weekly flyers. Miller said they also run two-day specials regularly at each store, and other in-store specials not necessarily advertised.
He also plans to provide different events like brat, hamburger and rib feeds to showcase products sold in the store. But more importantly, the events are meant to bring the community together.
As they move forward, Miller said they will recruit employees, especially for the deli. He has purchased new equipment for the deli, but that can’t be installed until they have more employees to fully operate it. Once they do, they will provide more items such as rotisserie chicken, take-and-go boxed meals like lasagna and hotdishes, and other baked items.
As the company owns and operates 12 stores, Miller said their buying power allows them to offer items at lower prices.
“What’s really nice is, if they need something up here, we can have it up here in hours,” Miller said. “If they’re long on something, we can get rid of it.”
Miller’s support employees will be going back and forth every week, helping out with every aspect of the store as needed.
“It’s overwhelming when you’re understaffed,” he said. “Staffing is an issue in all our stores. We’ve just got to learn to be more efficient with what we’ve got.”
On Wednesday, June 26, Miller and his whole crew were at the store. Maureen Swanson, former owner and Tom’s wife, stopped by to check in. She said she and her family are happy with the change, and that Miller’s Fresh Foods will keep the Farmers Store going for the community.
“We are excited to be here and to carry on the tradition of the Farmers Store,” Miller said. “It’s a nice facility. It’s a beautiful community. We’re here to help the community and be a part of the community. We like to get involved.”
Miller stressed that if anyone has questions or concerns, to call and visit.
For the time being, the Farmers Store flyer will still be available on the store’s front counter and online at farmersstoreofhallock.com, but will eventually be linked with Miller’s Fresh Foods.
Miller plans on holding a grand opening celebration sometime this fall.