CARRINGTON, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Wisconsin-based retailer Shopko announced it would be closing 70 percent of its stores in the U.S.
Stores in Rolla, Oakes, Lisbon, Mayville, and Beulah were on the list for North Dakota. Now, it seems Carrington is also being included.
“Our Carrington Shopko is scheduled to close in May,” Carrington Chamber Executive Director Laurie Dietz stated. “Members of the board of directors met today with the Job Development Authority and Mayor Tom Erdmann and we are going to work towards convincing the company that our store is viable and should be part of the restructuring plan rather than closed down.”
Dietz pointed out the store provides a large shopping variety for the community and it would be a shame if they were to close their doors.
“We’re contacting the CEO and Carrington Economic Development Director Denise Schuchard is putting together an online petition for people to sign,” Dietz explained.
Dietz says they’re taking inspiration from the Stanley, ND store, which also faced closure until major community push back changed that.
“They got to the point where they stopped sending crates because they were closing. But after countless people spoke up and the company saw the importance of the store in the community, they changed their mind. We’re hoping we can do the same.”
Shopko opened in Carrington on Sunday, October 4th 2015 after previous store Alco announced they would be closing, leaving other smaller communities without that shopping option.
You can find and sign the online petition by clicking here.