Mulholland Grocery Store Rebuild Nearing Finish Line


Grocer Tom Mulholland outside his new building on Main Street in Malvern.

Architectural rendering of the new Mulholland Grocery store in Malvern.

Mulholland Grocery building following a massive fire on Dec. 13, 2021. (COURTESY PHOTO - KENT HERTZ Hz PRODUCTIONS)

MALVERN - Christmas could come early this year in Malvern.

The long-awaited rebuild of Mulholland Grocery is nearing the finish line and the store on Main Street could be open just in time for the holiday season. The Malvern community has been without a local grocery store since a massive fire took out the Mulholland building and business in December 2021.

“I thought we would be reopened within a year. I never expected this,” Tom Mulholland said last week. “We couldn’t begin the clean-up for six months because they weren’t sure the wall of the building next door was stable after the fire. And, the construction company I originally chose did a number on me and caused a lot of issues.

“We were ready to begin five or six times but it never happened. They (construction company) would start an argument with the engineer or architect. All those times we thought we were ready to go, it didn’t happen.”
Those delays are water under the bridge now. Mulholland said he’s pleased with the work of his new general contractor – Glenwood-based Pinnacle Construction – and the sub-contractors, including many from southwest Iowa.

Ups and Downs

The last three years have been a roller coaster ride for Mulholland.

On the upside, there was the outpouring of support - locally, regionally and even nationally. Earlier this month, Mulholland accepted a check for more than $40,000 from the Malvern Area Betterment Association. The funds represented donations and fundraising revenue received on behalf of Mulholland since the fire.

In 2023, Mulholland and his effort to bring back his business was the focus of a documentary movie produced by Meta, the parent company of Facebook.  The movie generated support and encouragement from patrons, grocers and small business owners from across the country.

The downside was the frustration Mulholland felt when he realized the rebuild process was going to be more challenging than he first thought. There were the construction delays, the costs associated with rebuilding and even some social media posts from critics who questioned why the rebuild was taking so long.

“I was depressed. This has been difficult,” Mulholland said. “It’s been extremely difficult. Thank goodness I’ve had good friends and people standing by me.”

Meeting Community Needs

Mulholland said the façade of the new building will blend in well with the existing buildings on Malvern’s Main Street and the new store will meet the needs of the Malvern community. Although the 3,800 square-foot store will be slightly smaller than the store he lost, the space will be better utilized.

“It’s a little smaller than what I had in the past, but the walk-in freezer I had was five or six times bigger than what I needed,” he said. “I’ll have a little bit more space in the meat area. Before, there were times when if I was catering and my meat cutter had things he needed to be doing, I’d be setting up fold-up tables in the backroom and working back there. We’ll have more space for that know.

“The things people are looking for the most, they’ll be able to get here.”

A couple ideas have been scratched from Mulholland’s original plans for the new store –a drive-thru coffee window and walk-in beer cooler. Alcohol will not be sold at the store.

The beer cooler would have been costly to build and operate and would have allowed space for only one check-out counter. The store will have two check-out counters, Mulholland said.

“That beer cooler would never pay for itself. The check stand will pay for itself in the first year, first six months,” he said.

Since first announcing his plans to rebuild, Mulholland has stressed the importance of having a grocery store to the long-term viability of the Malvern community.

“I’m 64 years old now,” he said. “I’m not doing this because I want a job. I’m doing this because my community needs a grocery store. I’m trying to do something that’s going to be here for at least the next 20 or 30 years.”

Mulholland’s hopes are that he can get the store up and running successfully and make it attractive to new ownership down the road.

Customer Loyalty

Mulholland said he isn’t concerned that his loyal customers of the past may have gotten out of the habit of shopping at his store.

“People have found how difficult it is to have to go somewhere else for that one thing or two they need for supper, things like that,” he said. “I think people are going to want to support the store even more. It’s certainly been a story that has become fairly well-known in the area and

I think we may attract a few extra customers from that.”

There is still work to be done and some licensing and inspection hurdles to clear, but Mulholland can finally sense the end his long journey to rebuild is near.

“I’m still very emotional about all of this,” he said. “I tried so hard because I love my community so much and I want it to be here. I want it to be stronger, as much as it can be, now and in the future.

“Without a grocery store, it’s a lot tougher. That’s why I’ve done this.”

 

The Opinion-Tribune

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