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Milton business owners work to get residents to buy local

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Matt Holman of Milton starts his weekly grocery shopping trip in the newly remodeled produce department at Milton's Piggly Wiggly.

Photo

Photo by Dan Lassiter

Helen Lau of Milton shops in the new frozen foods section in the addition at the Milton Piggly Wiggly. She said she shops at the store almost every day.

MILTON — Patti Szambelan, Milton, shops at three grocery stores.

When she needs something in a hurry, she hits the Milton Piggly Wiggly.

When she wants baked goods, she heads to the Janesville Logli.

And when it’s time for the big trip, she goes to the Janesville Woodman’s.

But that might change now that Piggly Wiggly, 727 S. Janesville St., has remodeled, adding 40 percent more space, she said.

“I’m going to check it out and see what they have to offer,” said Szambelan, who was seeing the remodeled Piggly Wiggly for the first time Monday.

Owner Jason Cowley said one of the major reasons he remodeled the store was to attract shoppers such as Szambelan who live in Milton but shop in Janesville. The addition celebrated its grand opening Nov. 5.

Milton, like many small communities, struggles to keep residents shopping in town instead of in larger, nearby cities. It can be especially difficult for Milton with the big-box stores and the Janesville Mall just a few miles south on Highway 26, business owners said.

“It’s definitely always a struggle to try to keep people shopping local,” said Dave Warren, owner of Dave’s Ace Hardware, 430 S. John Paul Road, Milton.

Milton business owners obviously have an interest in attracting Milton shoppers, but they said shopping local benefits the entire community by contributing to the tax base and the community.

“When customers support the Milton businesses, it just helps the community in general to stay active and alive,” said Tami Dosch, owner of The Old Junction Mill, 613 W. Madison Ave., Milton.

Ace Hardware, for example, sponsors several sports teams and other community groups, Warren said.

“I’ve always thought that has some effect on where people decide to shop,” he said.

Local businesses also offer a more personal touch, business owners said. Cowley greets customers by name as he wanders through his grocery store, and Dosch recently spent time with a customer looking for a rug trying to learn exactly what she wanted, she said.

Still, the owners know it can be tough to compete with the wide variety and low prices of chain stores in nearby Janesville.

Dosch said she tries to offer unique items at The Red Rooster, a home furnishing shop in The Old Junction Mill.

“I have had to be more careful in my selection of merchandise that I have in my store, because of the (chain) ‘home-décor’ stores,” she said. “There’s no way I can compete with their prices on some items.”

Cowley went so far as to build an addition and remodel his store to try to keep grocery shoppers in Milton, he said.

He did a needs assessment and learned customers were looking for one-stop shopping. He tripled the freezer space, doubled the dairy section and expanded the produce, deli, bakery and meat departments, he said.

The store now offers more organics and a wider variety of fruits, vegetables and fresh seafood.

“The way our old store was set up, it was more a huge convenience store,” he said.

So far, reaction from customers is positive, Cowley said.

Mike Kelly, who lives in rural Milton, said he already did a lot of shopping at Piggly Wiggly and is happy with the new variety at the store.

“Milton needs a bigger store,” he said.

SHOP HOP

Drumming up shoppers in Milton is a major goal for the Milton Area Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Tourism, President Lori Warren said.

“The more we have to offer in town, the more we become more of a destination to attract more businesses, too,” she said.

The chamber offers “chamber bucks” available at the chamber office, 508 Campus St. The bucks act like gift cards good at any chamber member business.

It is also organizing a Holiday Shop-Hop for Sunday, Dec. 7, the same day as its annual Christmas Walk. Participants who visit seven of the 12 participating businesses between Friday and Sunday are entered into a drawing for a gift basket with items donated from all 12 businesses, said Tami Dosch, a MACCIT board member.

The shop-hop is meant to increase consumer awareness of local businesses and promote local shopping, Dosch said.

For more information about chamber bucks or the shop-hop, call MACCIT at (608) 868-6222.