Schnuck’s is Closing And I’m Not OK

It's probably not healthy to have an emotional attachment to a grocery store, but I do.

When I heard Schnuck's grocery store in Bettendorf announce they are closing in August 16, I had to take a moment. I've had some great memories there because for many years, it was my neighborhood market.

I lived along the river where Bettendorf meets Davenport. Schnuck's was just a quick drive up the hill. When you need a can of cream of mushroom soup, it seemed like a long haul to get to the other side of Bettendorf to go to the other grocery store chain.

There's something wonderful about the local market. I liked parking close. I liked the tiny 'shopper in training' grocery carts. My granddaughter thought it was so special to put her favorite fruit and chocolate milk in there. Heck, I even liked the music that played in Schnuck's.

A few years ago, I moved to a small town outside of the Quad Cities. The grocery store was small, but it was a life saver when I needed children's Tylenol at 9 pm or that elusive can of cream of mushroom soup. Sadly it closed too just last year. Sure, it's inconvenient not to have a store in town, but I wonder what happened to the smiling faces of workers there. Where did they go?

Where will the Schnuck's workers go? The company said they'll try to employ the Bettendorf workers elsewhere, but the nearest store is 90 miles away. I feel the loss of good memories at the grocery store. I liked seeing the worker's smiling faces there too. I'll always have my memories, but for the people who made the store feel so welcoming, I wonder what they'll do.