New owner, same store

Casey Connor likes what he has seen so far at Fiesta Foods.

The longtime grocer took ownership of the Hartley store April 1 after purchasing it from Greg and Cathy Musch. He and his wife, Julie, also own and operate stores in Lake Mills and Northwood, so their recent purchase wasn't that big of a leap.

"This isn't our first rodeo and I am getting better at it," Connor said. "This one isn't as scary. It was a well-run store with Greg and Cathy, and there's a good comfort level with the staff."

Connor has been in the grocery business since he was a kid working at the store in Corning, Iowa. He was later hired by Hy-Vee and worked at stores in Iowa and Illinois before shifting his sights to the independent market. He now owns part of a wholesale company that services approximately 50 stores in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin in addition to operating his stores in Lake Mills and Northwood.

He and his wife purchased the Lake Mills store five years ago and bought the Northwood store two years ago. Connor said the most important thing about operating a small town grocery store is continually improving the business to offer the best experience for local customers.

"You have to reinvest in all your stores," he said. "Greg and Cathy invested a lot in this store five years ago, and it shows. It's well run and has a good staff. It's just a good store."

The Connors have reinvested more than $400,000 in their Northwood store and $200,000 in the Lake Mills location. Connor said that type of capital wouldn't be needed in Hartley, and he isn't planning any large-scale changes anytime soon.

"Basically it will just be some merchandise changes," he said. "I will absorb and watch. I definitely think there needs to be some more merchandise options for this town, and I would like to try to capture more of the Okoboji crowd driving by. At the same time, we will listen to our customers and what they want."

Connor plans to bring back Everyday Low Prices and drive sales with aggressive pricing. Fiesta Foods hasn't been able to accept Food Stamps or WIC since the ownership change, but they will return once paperwork is properly processed by the agencies in charge of those programs.

Connor is currently commuting to Hartley when he needs to be at the store. Longtime Fiesta Foods employee Diane Harms will oversee day-to-day operations when he's away.

Connor was excited about his new grocery store and looked forward to meeting more Hartley customers in the coming weeks.

"[The grocery business] gets in your blood and it's tough to get out," he said. "You're around people a lot, and I love being around people. It's just contagious."