Kopp's grocery will close

Owner to retire; store losing money

By Mike Ivey of The Capital Times

December 1, 2000

Madison will soon lose one of its last remaining independent neighborhood grocery stores.

Ken Kopp's Fine Foods, 1864 Monroe St., will close within the next six months, owner Ken Kopp said today. It has operated there since 1980.

Plans call for razing the building and replacing it with a Walgreens pharmacy, pending approvals from the city of Madison.

Kopp, 70, said it was time for him to retire, citing health reasons and the store's declining profitability.

"We've been losing money for the past several years," he said.

While the store has continued to attract customers, Kopp said it became increasingly difficult to compete with the larger chains.

"The store is always busy but those are all $10 baskets," he said. "It costs us just as much money to process that size an order as it does the $100 order at Woodman's."

Kopp said there had been some discussions about having someone else in the family take over the business, including his son, Jiggs, the produce manager. But Kopp said the economics were simply not favorable.

"I didn't want to turn over an unprofitable business to anyone in the family," he said.

Kopp announced the closing Thursday night at a meeting of members of the Regent Market Cooperative, a tiny grocery at 2136 Regent St. that has also been in financial difficulties.

Mary Rouse, president of the cooperative's board, said the news of the closing came as a shock to the 125 in attendance.

"Ken got two standing ovations," she said.

Kopp's attorney, Tim Sweeney, said Walgreens was willing to work with the neighborhood in putting in a store that would blend in with the flavor and architecture of Monroe Street, which is dominated by locally owned niche retail businesses.

"Walgreens is fully aware of the 'We don't like chains' mentality over there," said Sweeney, who counts long ties to the Monroe Street neighborhood himself.

Sweeney said the developer plans to tear down the entire building, which includes a coin-operated laundry. The new Walgreens would include a drive-through pharmacy window but might also carry some grocery items.

Sweeney said he and Kopp had searched for "several years" to find another grocer to fill that spot but that the economics were simply prohibitive.

"Walgreens was the only developer willing to pay Ken what that space is worth," he said.

The building is assessed for tax purposes at $500,000, according to city records.

"I hope the neighborhood will realize all the hard work that Ken and his family has put in over the years and allow him to cash out so he can enjoy his retirement," Sweeney said.

The closing will leave just a handful of independent grocers in Madison.

The arrival of the warehouse grocery stores here in 1978 touched off a price war that drove a host of longtime local groceries out of business. Names like El Rancho, Millins, Amato's and Larry's Lake Edge are just footnotes in a local history book.

"It's a battle, no doubt about it," said Steve Knoche, a third generation owner of Knoche's Food Center at 5372 Old Middleton Road.

A gruffish butcher by trade, Kopp had become arguably the best-known grocer in the city. With blanket radio spots -- "We're the second-most exciting place on Monroe Street" -- and newspaper ads featuring a characterization of Kopp himself, the store has honed its image and its appeal to an upscale clientele.

Kopp started working in the grocery business during his high school days at Edgewood, when he wrapped sliced meats in the old Kroger on Monroe Street. He later worked for UW Provisions and Roundy's in the wholesale end of the business.

He took over the Monroe Street location 20 years ago. It had been home to a Fauerbach grocery and, before that, a Kroger grocery.

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