Students living on and around campus are going to have to start traveling further to purchase groceries as the Kroger that is conveniently located directly across the street from Callahan Hall will soon be closed for remodeling.

The store, located at 70 Martha Layne Collins Boulevard, will be closing on Feb. 20 and is not expected to reopen until June. The exact date of the reopening is unknown and depends upon the progress of the construction.

“We are just going to remodel the interior,” said Store Manager Nick Greer. “The store is going to be brand new on the inside. It’s going to be nice.”

The age of the store was a main factor in choosing to remodel the location. The store is not up to date with the technology that is used. With a brand new inside comes a new photo lab, a technology update, a brand new bank and pharmacy and also a larger book section. Many students are looking forward to the new store.

“I feel [the remodel] is a good idea,” said Ryan Hall, junior EMB major and Kroger shopper. “The Kroger we have now is pretty small compared to the ones around us. It would be nice to see more of a selection.”
Many of the Kroger staff members are excited about the upgrade, but some students who use the location to buy groceries are concerned about what the store closing for the rest of the semester will mean to them.

“It kind of sucks because my car is broken right now and that’s where I buy my groceries,” said Mike Davis, freshman communication major and Callahan Hall resident. “I guess that the Dollar Tree is my best option to buy groceries now.”

The Kroger store remained open 24 hours a day and many students used it as a place to get their late night snacks when everything else closed down for the night.

“The people who want to get food at four in the morning are screwed,” said Taylor Bray, freshman social work major. “They wont be able to get any snacks because everything around here closes much earlier.”

Though there are many concerns about what students living on campus will do to buy groceries for themselves, Greer believes that the four month closure will pose very few problems to students who shop there.

“I don’t think it will affect students too much,” said Greer. “We will be closed for about four months and the majority of students wont be on campus for the last month and a half of the remodeling because they will already be out for summer break.”

The Kroger corporate headquarters is located in downtown Cincinnati and to many people it seems that there is a Kroger on just about every corner.

“It isn’t like we don’t have one five minutes down the road anyway,” Hall said. “The effect will be minor. Kroger is within walking distance now, but even when they shut it down students can take advantage of car pooling and the TANK system.”

Story by Matthew Brewer