Ignacio has its grocery store back. The Farmers Fresh Market opened at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
Mark Crom served as project manager as the old store was demolished last November, and the new store was built by Crossfire Construction. The new store expands north into the space previously occupied by a Southern Ute Community Action Programs building, which also was demolished.
Now, Crom works for the market as facilities manager.
“Opening day has been nice and busy,” he said at mid-morning Wednesday. “It’s been a good turnout. Everybody seems pretty excited. The store being closed for 13½ months, it’s good to have it open.”
Asked how many people had come through so far, he said maybe a few hundred: “It’s been a pretty steady stream since 6 o’clock this morning.”
The store will have around 50 employees, with 14 or 15 at a time actually in the store, Crom said. Asked if they are mostly Ignacio locals, he said, “I know some have quit jobs in Durango to come here. There’s one from Aztec, one from Pagosa. Most are local.”
Grocery Manager Olivia Collins is one who quit a job in Durango for a job now within walking distance of her house.
“I’m over the commute,” she said. “I almost couldn’t say no” to this job. Collins said she was born and raised in Ignacio.
Crom said there are some minor things in the store that aren’t finished. One is the burrito bar, but he said it should be open in a few days. Mainly, it’s just getting things organized, he said. The pharmacy will open later this summer.
The property is owned by the Swanemyr and McClanahan families, and it is leased and operated by Brook and Ezra Lee. Amos Lee is the general manager. The new store is 21,974 square feet versus 17,714 square feet for the old store.
