Small Minnesota town reeling after discount grocery store fire

LINDSTROM, Minn. (FOX 9) - In a small town northeast of the Twin Cities metro, a crucial lifeline for low-income families has been disrupted. Nick & Drew's Discount Foods, a discounted grocery store in Lindstrom, was forced to close its doors following a fire and smoke damage.

For the past six years, this store has been instrumental in serving the community with affordable food options. But last Wednesday, a freezer fire overnight caused severe smoke damage throughout the store. With a clean-up and restoration process expected to take between two to three months, the community faced the sudden loss of their primary source of affordable groceries.

Store owner Nick Fowler was well aware of the impact the closure would have on his clientele. Many of the store's customers rely on the discounted prices to stretch their limited food budgets. "A lot of people don't have an extra $300 a month, whatever they save by shopping with us," Fowler said.

But he came up with an innovative solution to keep serving his customers. In collaboration with a local school bus company, Fowler organized a free shuttle service twice a week - on Tuesdays and Thursdays - to take shoppers to their secondary location in Isanti, 27 miles away.

While this distance might have been prohibitive for many customers with limited transport options and tight budgets, the shuttle service has made it feasible. "It's a long drive for a lot of people, so this bus thing is actually excellent. It was a wonderful idea," said one of the customers. The shuttle service allows the customers up to an hour, if needed, to complete their shopping.

 The initiative has been particularly beneficial for elderly customers who were heavily dependent on the store. Fowler now has a new goal - to spread the word about the shuttle service, ensuring that everyone in need knows they can still access affordable food, despite the unfortunate circumstances.