News Photo by Crystal Nelson Deb Grubaugh, cashier at Neiman’s Family Market, scans groceries for Alpena resident Phyllis Tippman today at the store.

ALPENA — After 37 years, Neiman’s Family Market is closing its location in Alpena.

The grocery store’s president and CEO, Bryan Neiman, announced the news this morning on the store’s Facebook page, where he said the store will close on or before Oct. 4. Neiman said the closing date will be determined by how much product is left in the store.

The Bagel Stop inside the store will also close. Neiman’s locations in Tawas, St. Clair, and Clarkston will remain open.

Neiman’s Family Market is the anchor store in the Thunder Bay Shopping Center. When the store closes, only a handful of businesses will remain there, including Turn the Page Bookstore, Weight Watchers, and Wild Wild West Tobacco. No one was available for comment at those stores today.

Neither representatives with Woodcrest Capital, the Fort Worth, Texas-based owners of the shopping center, or Thomas Duke Commercial Real Estate, the company that manages the property, were immediately available to comment.

After the pharmacy inside the Alpena store closed last year, the store’s former owner, Hal Neiman, addressed rumors circulating in the community and told The News the store would not close or move.

But Bryan Neiman said that was more than a year ago and the coronavirus pandemic had caught the family-run business off-guard. He said the family had hoped to maintain the grocery store, but the market and consumer shopping habits had changed.

Additionally, Bryan Neiman said the Alpena area has not experienced population growth, while the number of competitors offering groceries has grown.

“I feel bad for the staff and the community, but, unfortunately, the pie got smaller and smaller, and we just couldn’t continue to operate the store profitably here,” Bryan Neiman said. “The online shopping, the other things that affected us really just all caught up with us during the pandemic.”

He said there was an initial surge in sales when the pandemic began, but the surge didn’t last and supply chain issues made it challenging to keep products on the shelves.

Bryan Neiman said he let the grocery store’s 38 employees know about the closure during their morning meeting today, prior to posting the announcement on Facebook.

He said they are reviewing openings at other Neiman’s stores for employees who may want to transfer and are trying to find work for other employees locally.

Bryan Neiman said the decision to close the Alpena location has been difficult for both the Neiman family, who have so many memories there, as well as the family’s company.

News of the business’ plans has been equally difficult for the community, including Kenneth and Victoria Diamond, of Presque Isle, who said they were “disappointed” upon hearing the news while loading groceries at the Alpena store today.

The Diamonds have a 20-minute drive to get groceries in either Alpena or Rogers City. Kenneth Diamond said they believe in supporting local businesses and Victoria Diamond said they shop at the store all the time.

“Prior to this, Neiman’s has had the best selection, and I could always find what I wanted,” Kenneth Diamond said. “It’s unfortunate that they are closing.”

Victoria Diamond said the store closing means they will probably continue to shop at Perch’s IGA in Alpena and then shop in Rogers City.

Alpena resident Cindy Richardson said she will miss the store because the big-box stores are too large for the elderly to get around easily.

“My mother comes here, but we — the kids — will be doing her shopping now, because she can’t go to the big stores — that’s too much,” Richardson said.

37 YEARS

Hal Neiman became part-owner of the business, then called Alpena IGA, in July 1983, according toThe News’ archives.

The store gave 1-pound containers of cottage cheese away to the first 200 customers as part of its grand opening on July 27, 1983, when specials included hamburger for 88 cents per pound, bananas for 29 cents per pound, and apple cider vinegar for $1.59 per gallon.

The store changed its name to Neiman’s Family Market in the mid-1990s, Bryan Neiman said. Hal Neiman said he became the sole owner of the store in 2005 and retired in 2017 when his children, Bryan Neiman, Nathan Neiman, and Amy Rogers took over the family business.

Bryan Neiman said he remembers moving to Alpena from Ann Arbor when his dad became co-owner of the business.

“My dad had a Volkswagon — you used to have to push it to get it started,” he said. “I would push it and he’d drive around the block and I’d jump into the car and we’d come up to the store and we would work and we’d fill shelves and we got the store open.”

He said his siblings, along with their mother, Jean Neiman, helped at the time. He said they have all worked at the Alpena store and grew up in the community.

Bryan Neiman said they have so many memories, have been blessed with many wonderful customers, and have incredible employees who have worked for them. He said today was a sad day for the Neiman’s family.

“I will be in the store frequently in the coming days, as well as Hal and other family members,” Bryan Neiman said in the Facebook post. “We hope you will stop by and we look forward to talking to you, hearing your comments, answering your questions, and doing everything we can to assist you.”