The dream of a village store in aura is over. The igros branch in karl metz’s former grocery store closed its doors again on monday after two years of opening. The reason for the closure is the lack of profitability, as operator gulin zeisberg states.
The motto "we don’t have everything, but everything that is needed", did not exactly meet with overwhelming interest, even though the opening finally met with approval after many debates in the municipal council and a town hall meeting. Certainly there were doubters at the time, because the supermarket in euerdorf is not far away and shopping at the place of work has become a habit.
Limited support
This is also confirmed by the leaseholder. "There was no increase in sales, and I had only limited support in the form of purchasing. I’m sorry for the non-mobile buyers, but you can’t live on this lot", argues zeisberg. She did receive support from some local burghers for urgent appointments. "But that’s not the same as having permanent employees on a part-time basis who relieve me permanently. But I couldn’t afford it", she adds.
This reflects the heavy workload that gulin zeisberg had to cope with largely on her own. Nevertheless, she is pleased about the "people I have met and some of whom I have grown fond of", for example at the chat in the affiliated cafe. But the experience does not compensate for the lack of turnover.
Gabriele kretzer, who worked in the hotel business in wurzburg, was a loyal shopper at the village grocery store. "I always bought the food I needed in the near future here, even though there were plenty of opportunities for shopping along the way. I wanted to contribute to the preservation of the village store", confesses.
Social meeting place
Councilwoman regina schaub admits to having been critical of the project before, but still supports it. "The end is bad for my parents and my aunt. They have to rely on their relatives again because they are not mobile." A "regrettable hole he also sees it for the older citizens of the town, who liked to meet for coffee in the store on the main street.
Gaby schottdorf, who is involved in the work with seniors, agrees. "The store was a social meeting place. For those who came here, the loss is regrettable, because there are elderly people in aura who have few other opportunities for communication," he said, she states. Although the pensioner herself organizes senior citizens’ afternoons, the chairwoman of the fruit and gardening association is good with planning and work and also runs her household.
She can understand the decision of the tenant. "You can’t live on work alone, there has to be something to live on too. I missed the support of the community a bit", she says. Praise went to the ambitious gulin zeisberg. "We won’t find another one like that – we probably won’t find one at all", she suspects.
A lot of heart and soul in the project
Mayor thomas hack, who returned from vacation the day before, hopes that this statement will not become reality. "It really hurts us, because a lot of heart and soul went into the project. Probably it is also for mrs. Zeisberg a personal disappointment", he regretted. Nevertheless, he wants to keep the hope of an "auntie-emma-store" alive in aura not to give up completely. "There are enough examples that it can work," she says, reasons hack, who thanked the leaseholder for her hard work with a bouquet of flowers.
Sadness resonates at the last meeting in the small cafeteria. The regret about the closure is written on the faces of those who have come and the farewell to a beloved "new aura" also.
The manager of the catholic bookstore, heiko frank, will have to take his breakfast elsewhere in the future, and the people of the town will be poorer by one social meeting place.