Alco site to become farm store
Staff writer
A new farm and ranch store will open in Hillsboro in the late spring.
The former Alco building is being renovated to house one of seven Bomgaars stores in Kansas.
CEO Torrie Wingert said the retailer is similar to, but much different from, other farm and ranch stores.
The company has found its niche in smaller communities.
“We really like small towns and think it’s a good investment,” Wingert said. “We take those empty buildings and turn them into something. We really enjoy being in these communities. We really want to carry the things people need and want.”
Wingert said the retailer emphasizes seasonal lawn and garden supplies, clothing and shoes for the whole family, DeWalt tools, automotive supplies, pet supplies, plumbing and electrical supplies, and do-it-yourself needs.
“We’re one of the largest DeWalt tools retailers in the country,” Wingert said.
The family-owned retailer began in Sioux City, Iowa, in 1952 and now has 94 stores in Iowa, Colorado, Idaho, Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wyoming.
“We’ve expanded pretty rapidly,” Wingert said. “We’ve got seven stores going into Kansas.”
When ShopKo went bankrupt in 2019, the company decided to go into Kansas, he said.
Although the location in Hillsboro is a former Alco store, the other stores coming to Kansas are former ShopKo sites. They include Lyons, Seneca, Beloit, Norton, Russell, and Burlington.
“We’re in there doing some fixing up and getting it ready,” Wingert said.
The company will start hiring for the Hillsboro store in the spring and hopes to open in early June.
“We’re starting some of the remodel now, and once we get a crew hired, and they’re putting shelves up, we’ll start shipping,” he said.
“We’re just excited to get open,” he said. “We know that building has been vacant a long time so we’re just eager to get it open. We want people to come in and see what we have to offer.”
Stores offer a 10% discount for 4-H, FFA, and Skills USA projects.