Bidding farewell to Fiesta Foods

Greg Musch and Cathy Sweet-Musch have spent more than 20 years in Hartley, but the clock is winding down fast.

The owners of Fiesta Foods will call it quits once doors lock at the local grocery store on March 31. The Musches have sold the business to Casey and Julie Conner, who also own stores in Lake Mills and Northwood.

"We're experiencing every emotion right now," said Cathy. "We're getting cards in the mail from people, and we have people stopping us almost daily telling us how much they've appreciated us here. We are definitely grateful."

The Musches took ownership of the Hartley store, then called Dan's Food Center, on Jan. 3, 2000. It was much smaller than it is today, and the Musches made it a priority to upgrade the building under their ownership.

"We've pretty much replaced everything in the store except the patty machine, wrapping machine and band saw at the meat counter," said Greg.

Cathy noted there wasn't a year that went by they didn't reinvest in the business in some way. The biggest upgrade came during a yearlong project between 2014-2015 when the east side of the store was constructed to expand the building and make way for Hartley Hometown Pharmacy.

The couple admitted the undertaking was a bit more than they had expected, but the business remained open and operational during the remodeling process.

"It was so stressful," recalled Greg. "I was losing sleep over it and everything. It was a lot."

The project was a huge test for the grocers, but it wasn't the biggest hurdle during their two-decade career.

The duo said keeping up with dollar stores and big box chains has been a monumental task. The explosion in online shopping has had a negative effect, too, and it's only gotten more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It's a big challenge," Greg said. "The pile keeps getting cut a little more over time."

Greg and Cathy had been involved in the grocery business for several years before moving to northwest Iowa from South Dakota. Greg's father owned four stores, including the building in Hartley, and gave his son and daughter-in-law first crack at buying it when he was nearing retirement.

"It was an opportunity for us to expand and be on our own, and it was a good thing," said Greg.

Like with most things in life, time necessitates change. Greg said the decision to move on from the business had been in the back of his head for a while. He didn't want to try to sell Fiesta Foods during his retirement years and mentioned to a few key people that he'd be open to offers. Word eventually reached the Conners, who liked what they saw.

"They came down one night, we showed them the place and they loved it," Greg said. "Everything went from there. The main thing is I don't want to be 63 or 64 and then it takes three years or more to sell the business."

The couple's next chapter is somewhat unknown. They will be relocating to Sioux Falls to be closer to their kids and grandkids, as well as Greg's parents. Their next job moves are still uncertain, but they do plan to close on a house early next month.

The Musches were grateful for the support they received from shoppers and employees over the years, and they noted Hartley will always hold a special place in their hearts.

"We're very appreciative of every customer and our staff," Greg said. "We have around 25 employees, so when people shop here it's not only helping us, it's helping 25 other families."