MORAN — The future of Marmaton Market is uncertain as mounting debt and weak sales threaten to shutter Moran’s only grocery store. At a public meeting Wednesday evening, board members and residents gathered to weigh options for keeping the store open, acknowledging its financial challenges.
“Basically, we’re here to see if we can save the store, and if not, what can we do next,” said board chairman Ken McWhirter as the meeting opened.
The urgency was clear. McWhirter said he first learned of the severity of the situation earlier this month, when the city warned that utilities would be shut off after a payment check bounced twice. “I did not want everything to shut off because we would lose all of our stuff that was kept cool and frozen,” he said. He convinced city officials to keep the power on temporarily.
Soon after, the store’s general manager, Marilyn Logan, turned in her keys but declined to provide a written resignation. In a follow-up phone interview, Logan explained that she handed over the keys to McWhirter in case he needed access to the store in the interim while conversations continued. Despite what some board members have conveyed, Logan stressed that she hasn’t resigned. “If they want me to resign, they need to tell me that,” she said Thursday morning.
THE MARKET’S financial picture is bleak. The store owes about $26,000 in unpaid bills, plus $3,200 in payroll, on top of a $242,000 Small Business Administration loan. Utility bills due to the city total more than $4,200.
To stay afloat, the store would need $1,400 in daily sales to break even. Instead, recent sales have been closer to $600. “That’s a shortage of about $800 per day. We just can’t continue operating that way,” McWhirter said.
Board member Brenda Boyle noted the sacrifices already made. “She’s never taken a wage,” Boyle said of Logan. “That was by her simply not writing a check for herself… she emptied her own bank account. I also know that I put pretty big into it.”
For many residents, especially older adults and those without reliable transportation, the store is more than just a place to buy groceries. It has provided prepared meals and essential goods without requiring a trip to Iola, Gas, or Bronson.
“We really don’t want it to close, especially for the people who depend on the store,” McWhirter said.
But drawing consistent support from the town of 466 has been a challenge. Board members have long said that if every household spent just $25 a week at the store, it would thrive. “For some reason, a lot of people in town wouldn’t shop there,” one member said.
AMONG THOSE offering ideas was Kelly Perry, owner of Perry’s Pork Rinds & Country Store in Bronson. Perry noted that rural groceries face razor-thin profit margins and lack the buying power of big chains. “What we need to do is find a solution because there are people who don’t have the luxury that a lot of us have,” Perry said. “They don’t have cars… and they rely upon the store across the street or across town.”
Perry suggested networking with other small stores, diversifying revenue, and re-examining supplier options. “We definitely need to work together,” she said.
The Rural Grocery Initiative at Kansas State University may also be able to provide assistance. McWhirter said the board has received information about a grant for technical assistance, which could help fund a consultant or feasibility study, but not cover payroll or inventory.
Some community members questioned whether the city would back the effort. Boyle was doubtful. “They never have, so I don’t know how they’re going to now,” she said.
IDEAS FLOATED during the meeting included renting out the store’s commercial kitchen, returning vendor-supplied products like soda or ice cream, and liquidating equipment. But several warned that grant-purchased items may have restrictions on resale.
Others argued that without consistent local shopping, no amount of reorganization will matter. “No matter what changes we make, if the community support isn’t here, it’s kind of a moot point,” one participant said.
