Small Town Grocery Store Links

Rural Grocery Store Start-Up and Operations Guide

The IIRA Rural Grocery Store Start-Up and Operations Guide is a resource for Illinois entrepreneurs and community leaders interested in starting up, expanding, or transitioning a grocery store in their small town. The 2014 edition includes three new supplements covering cooperative grocery stores, business succession issues, and indoor farmers markets.

Download the guide

• Rural Grocery Store Start-Up and Operations Guide
• Supplementary guides:
  • Business Succession: Keeping Grocery Stores Alive
  • The Cooperative Model of Grocery Store Ownership
  • The Indoor Farmers Market: Evolution of a Local Food Sales Model

Resources for Small Town Grocery Stores

• Kansas State University Rural Grocery Initiative
  • Rural Grocery Challenges & Best Practices
• University of Minnesota rural grocery store resources
• Saving the Small Town Grocery Store – Center for Rural Affairs
• National Grocers Association
• National Cooperative Grocers Association
• Cooperative Grocer Network