Sun Prairie Sentry Store to Close (Sun Prairie Star)

Sun Prairie's Sentry Food store, a community fixture for more than 67 years, will close its doors at 1052 W. Main St. at the end of September or early October, with lay-offs of their 96 employees anticipated to begin as soon as Sept. 10.

Read the full article in the Sun Prairie Star at: http://www.hngnews.com/sun_prairie_star/news/local/article_331aa598-eb36-11e2-844a-001a4bcf6878.html

Over the years, the Sun Prairie Sentry Foods store received several "Best of Sun Prairie" awards for categories ranging from Best Customer Service to Best Produce Selection and Best Bakery. This photo from the Best of Sun Prairie in 2007 shows Penny and Terry Pederson in the produce section of the store located at 1052 W. Main. (File Photo: Sun Prairie Star)

Nate Pederson of Sentry Foods in Sun Prairie received the 2008 Community Business Leader Award for 2008 from Sun Prairie Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ann Smith (right) during the chamber's annual Business Appreciation Luncheon.   (File Photo: Sun Prairie Star)

Blogger's Note: Thank you to Terry, Penny and Nate, and the entire Conrad family for all their years of doing business in Sun Prairie.  They will be greatly missed.

Stechschulte Responds to Media Inquiries on Famous Footwear Closing (City of Sun Prairie Office of Econoimc Development)

City Economic Development Director Neil Stechschulte issued the following statement in response to several media inquiries regarding the announcement from Brown Shoe Company that they will be closing the Sun Prairie Famous Footwear Distribution Center by April 2012:

"The City of Sun Prairie has been formally notified Brown Shoe’s intention to close their Sun Prairie Distribution Center by April 2012, affecting 144 positions.

Despite the reduced corporate presence in the Madison area the past couple years, Famous Footwear operations team here in Sun Prairie had indicated to the City that there were no known plans to relocate or close the Sun Prairie distribution center at that time.  As recently as two months ago, the City visited with the Operations Manager at the facility, and all indicators  seemed to point towards a continuing presence here including a growing role for their shoes.com operation.  The announcement appears to have been a surprise to employees as well as the City as a whole.

We have requested additional information from officials at Brown Shoe as to why they have chosen to close this facility and whether or not there is anything that can be done to persuade them to continue and grow their operations here.  However, this decision is most likely final and we must be ready to move decisively to find a new user for that space in the event they truly have decided to cease operations here.

The City of Sun Prairie is grateful to Brown Shoe and Famous Footwear for their past investment in our community.  Our focus is now ensuring that displaced employees have all the necessary tools at their disposal, and we  are beginning work immediately to find a new business for that space."

Recommended Contacts for Wisconsin Cheeseman Inquiries

We have received multiple contact requests requesting information on either the business units or real estate currently for sale with the announcement of the pending closure of the Wisconsin Cheeseman. We recommend the following contacts as appropriate.

For inquries regarding individual business units, contact:

Paul Ossa, COO

Wisconsin Food Gift Co. DBA: Wisconsin Cheeseman

Ph: (608)837-5166 *488

possa@wifoodgift.com (e-mail is often the fastest way to reach Mr. Ossa)

For inquries regarding Real Estate for sale, contact:

Damon Root CCIM Vice President

616-301-9800 (O) 616-723-1027 (C) 616-301-9600 (F)

3347 Eagle Run Drive NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525

damon@kwekelcompanies.com

http://www.kwekelcompanies.com/

Hanley's to Close After 80 Years of Doing Business in Sun Prairie

This post is to confirm that Hanley's, a hardware and power sports store on Sun Prairie's East Side on Main Street, has announced that it is closing after 80 years of business. Tom Hanley, the owner, informed employees late last week that between diminishing profit margins and the potential loss of customer from the pending reconstruction of Main Street, he had made the decsion to close the store. Hanley's employed approximately 40 full time employees and several part time staff.

The announcement comes at the same time as national hardware chain Home Depot announced that they were closing three of their Wisconsin stores (Beaver Dam, Fond du Lac, and NW Milwaukee) while both Madison area stores seem to performing well. The slowed housing market and increased competition have made the hardware/home improvement industry scale back throughout the country.

While it was known that the Hanley building and property had been listed for sale for some time, discussions with Mr. Hanley over the past year were focused on finding a potential new location with additional visibility for his motorcycle dealership, along with select components of his operations. He also stated that the costs of building a new building factored into his decision to close. The existing site is approximately 6.6 acres.

To simply say that Hanley's has been a long standing business in our City would be a gross understatement. They have been an anchor retailer serving the City's East side, the Main Street Corridor, and the City as a whole. Their presence will be sorely missed. We wish Mr. Hanley all the best in his future endeavors, and hope he will remain an active and important part of our community. The City looks forward to working with Mr. Hanley in whatever plans he may have for his Main Street property, and to assist in any way that we can.

Click on any of the following links to view full articles from these sources:

Sun Prairie Star Online (Updated)

Capital Times (Madison)

Sun Prairie Today

Channel3000.com

Wisconsin State Journal