MORAN — The Marmaton Market, Moran’s grocery store, is closed “until further notice.”
Store manager Marilyn Logan declined to comment further Wednesday.
The market, which was purchased by the Marmaton Market Cooperative in 2018, has struggled to stay afloat financially, to the point Logan warned in 2021 it would close without greater local support.
Several grants, including a $140,000 USDA grant that paid for construction of a commercial-grade kitchen, have helped keep the store afloat.
Logan estimated in 2022 the store had received upwards of $250,000 through the years from various grants.
Just last summer, the Marmaton Market received a $10,000 Backing Small Business grant to pay for a new heating and cooling system and coolers for produce and meat products.
If the store closes for good, Moran would be left with only a convenience store, making it a “food desert.” According to the Kansas Health Foundation, this is an area where fresh food cannot be purchased within a 10-mile range.
Brenda Boyle, a member of the Marmaton Market cooperative’s board of directors, also declined to comment, saying she had not yet spoken with Logan about the closing.
In August, Erie’s community-owned River Grocery LLC, 25 miles to the south of Moran, announced it was closing its doors as well.
