The news of Shopko closures that happened earlier this year has gotten worse. Ten Iowa cities already found out their store was closing. But Feb. 6, that list was expanded to the point that 24 of Iowa’s 36 Shopko/Shopko Hometown stores will be gone by Memorial Day. The closures are nationwide (PDF here) and include Shopko #1 in Green Bay.
Of those 24, all but Oelwein’s are in county seats, including the former Pamida in Toledo on US 63. The Toledo Chronicle says the store opened as a Gibson’s in 1968. Aside from the full-fledged Shopkos in Burlington and Fort Madison that are going away, none of the Shopko Hometowns are in places larger than 10,000 people.
While these stores aren’t as high-prominence as the mall anchors going under like Sears and Younkers, their loss may be felt more. Residents will have to drive half an hour or more to Wal-Mart or Kohl’s — although, if these Shopko Hometowns are shuttering, maybe that means residents are doing that already.