New equipment for Edgar store

Investment signals grocery store’s long-term staying power

New store equipment will continue to show up at the Edgar Food Center in the coming weeks.

The investment in new fixtures-- two new dairy cases, a frozen meat bunker and a reach-in freezer for frozen food-signals a solid future for the village’s sole grocery store.

“We’re here to stay,” said Lance Bauer, store owner. “It’s been nine years to get to this point. To date, we’ve able to upgrade some windows and the outdoor sign. This new equipment will provide more options for customers.”

Bauer said the new fixtures will replace equipment first installed when his store, originally Ken & Dick’s IGA, was constructed in October 1976. Some of this old equipment was purchased used.

The new equipment, said Bauer, will hold 20 percent more food items while, at the same time, being 30 percent more energy efficient.

The store owner said he has a threepage list of items that store patrons have requested. The new equipment will offer some of these requests. The new dairy case will carry a greater selection of yogurt and juice while the reach-in freezer will carry a offer a better variety of frozen pizzas, ice cream and microwavable meals.

Bauer said the larger fixtures will be able to keep more customers from shopping for groceries in Wausau or Rib Mountain, where large stores carry a wide variety of items.

“We want everybody in Edgar to shop here,” he said. “We are about satisfying everybody’s needs as our size allows.”

Bauer said he tries to carry top items as reported by grocery store trade publications, but also makes sure he is well stocked in the items that Edgar residents uniquely like. These include pickled pigs feet, Great Northern beans, smoked kielbasa and Sundrop soda. “These are top sellers for us,” Bauer said.