Over a year after one fateful community meeting in January 2020, the former Jamboree Foods owned by Nick Graham has been turned into Market on Market, thanks to $250,000 in investment backing from Gowrie residents.

About two months after an event launched $250,000 in donations in 10 days, Gowrie Grocery LLC started the work necessary to transform the old Jamboree Foods into a new store to meet local grocery needs — ahead of efforts in most nearby towns where stores owned by Graham closed.

Volunteers worked hard behind the scenes, within new limitations imposed by social distancing, to transform the look of a store to focus on the best strength of small, independent grocery stores: fresh food.

“We’re going to have a nice store that people want to come to,” said Gowrie Grocery LLC board member Tom Schill in March.

Schill said that everything went off without a hitch up until the store’s opening. In the time between fundraising and the $90,000 purchase of Market Street properties and assets, he said no new expenses surfaced, boding well for their budget to get off the ground.

Despite concerns about reforming changed shopping habits, though, Jamboree Foods’ former owner, Jeff Peterson, initially told The Messenger he was optimistic that a new store could be successful, even against the odds as independent grocers fight rules in the industry that make for an uneven playing field that favors larger chains.

So far, the store has been doing well.

After months of anticipation, the mirage of a grocery store in a food desert came to fruition. The store opened in April. With its opening, customers immediately noticed the fresh look as well as the fresh meat, produce and wider selection with competitive pricing.

In addition to fresh paint, the store repaired holes and structural damage, and cleaned floors, cases and shelves, some of which were left in bad shape. The liquor section was moved to the front, with visually pleasing shelves.

After opening, renovation of the store’s back section was estimated for completion within six months to bring more shelf space for a greater variety of dry goods like detergent and paper products.

In October, Market on Market won the Strong Communities Award from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines via Heartland Bank, a local member. The award came with a $15,000 prize to the Gowrie Development Commission for future development projects within Gowrie, according to Kevin Black, president and CEO of Heartland Bank.

“We appreciate all the effort everyone did with voting and putting the application together,” Black said. “It was a community-wide effort, and we’re proud to have received the award.”

“When our internal panel was narrowing a list of finalists, we were impressed with Market on Market and its mission,” said Kris Williams, president and CEO of Federal Home Loan Bank Des Moines, in October. “We are excited to be able to support this project as it reflects the commitment of FHLB Des Moines to finding ways to improve their member communities.”

It took a village, but the bold investment has paid dividends for the town of 1,000.