Hornbacher's Express - Business Spotlight

As some of you may know a community hub and neighborhood staple, the Hornbacher's Express on South University Drive, was slated to close on June 27th. I was very sad to see that it ended up closing ahead of schedule on Thursday, June 18th at 5 pm, so I wanted to make today's Business Spotlight a recognition post for their dedication to excellent customer service and support.

Photo of Hornbacher's Express on University Drive South taken on Friday, June 19th after permanent closure.

While their closure was definitely a shock for many, some of who attempted to take action with a petition to save the store, for those that have been in the area their whole lives, this closure marks the end of an era. Since 1962, a grocery store has been at this location - first as Dahl's SuperValu, which changed to SuperValu Express in 1988 and then to Hornbacher's Express in 1992. That is 64 years of dedicated service. Many people in our neighborhood have never known a life without its presence, regardless of its name.

Having lived in this neighborhood for a decade, myself, I also find it hard to imagine this store closing. Many of the staff have been there almost as long as, if not longer than, my family and I have been visiting this store. When you're visiting 3 - 4 times a week, the staff become like friends and family. You develop inside jokes and have shared stories. I don't know how many times I argued with Justin about the Packers versus Cowboys (being a Wisco native, you can probably guess what side I'm on. . . Justin, if you're reading this, you're still wrong and Cowboys are trash 😂) They've watched as my kids have grown up and know us all by name.

I have watched as the same people show up every day to get their morning coffee and sit at the café tables outside to bask in the sun and chat with one another or, when the weather doesn't permit (as it often doesn't), sit at the tables between the Deli and Caribou to chat with staff and other guests. I often found myself visiting with other shoppers, my neighbors, as much as I would visit with the staff. It was a treat for our paths to collide throughout the week.

With that, it has been wild to watch what was once a community hub be gutted and reduced down to bare shelving, which didn't take long as vendors wasted no time in pulling their products off the shelves, leaving very little for shoppers to choose from - no doubt contributing to its early closure.

I know I often find a way to slide in the importance of supporting small, independent businesses, but this closure kind of drives it home. While it was bought out in 2018, this store managed to keep it's communal feel, thanks to their dedicated and caring staff. However, even with their care, the doors of our neighborhood grocery story were permanently closed due to rent being increased and a corporation's bottom line being impacted.

Obviously, it is likely more complicated than what I've described (or at least I hope it is), but the sentiment still stands that a corporation won't rally behind their sites no matter what place it holds within a community. It will always choose the bottom line. I am grateful, however, that all of the staff members that we know and love have been transferred, or given the offer to transfer, to another store in the area - it was the least that could be done in this situation.

To the lovely staff and awesome fellow patrons that made every trip interesting and eventful (especially Justin, Caroline & Monte), you deserve so much more. Thank you for everything! It won't be the same not seeing your smiling faces and hearing your jokes and stories every day, but I hope to see you around!

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