by Mari Radtke
It was 8:00am Monday March 9 when the new grocery store opened its doors after about a month of the community being without that service. The property was purchased by Don Palmer and Lexi Murphy. The couple lives in Paullina.
Don is a former owner of what is now “Prairie Market” in Paullina. Following his tenure there he worked for “Fareway” in Paullina, honing his skills. Lexi, a lifelong Paullina resident worked at “Prairie Market” and later at a medical clinic in Paullina. Their customer service skills, Don’s meat-cutting and managerial skills, paired with Lexi’s customer service skills and desire to bring the desired product mix to the public and display interests make “Main Market Sutherland” an exciting opportunity for them. They took ownership February 2.

After some consideration, it was decided to focus on grocery. The “Hometown Variety” products are not going to be a part of their focus. There are limited office, health and household products with a greeting card selection.
The store has a whole new look. The physical space has been upgraded with new paint, flooring on the entire east side, ceiling tile and some big and small rearranging. The meat department is in the same space. Some new “toys” were purchased: a new slicer, tenderizer and scale in the meat department. Three new freezers and two new coolers are installed offering a great selection. New signage and outdoor attention is planned for better weather days.
The same services and products that were popular will remain. Meat and cheese party trays to order, wrapped sandwiches and pickle wraps to name a few of the continued service and products.
The deli cooler has been moved to a back wall in that area while dairy and produce remain in the same locations. The shelving units there were relocated and the area is much more spacious. Small freezers are in the center of that area offering single serving treats for now. The aisles of grocery space, beginning in what was once the variety, offers the groceries found in every grocery store. They are quite proud to feature gluten free selections and a partnership with Frederichsen’s Meat Market for some items such as steaks and meat sticks.
Don and Lexi offer thanks to the many service providers who worked diligently to get them up and running: Sweeney’s Construction, Leer Electric and Travis Wohlert. The also recognized Security State Bank and Darren Johnson.