BLUE HILL, Neb. — Blue Hill residents and people from communities across Webster County gathered Wednesday to celebrate the opening of Hometown Market, a new downtown grocery store aimed at making fresh food more accessible while adding another business to the community.
The store is owned by Danny Benge and his wife, who also operate Hometown Market in Red Cloud. The Blue Hill location gives residents another nearby option for groceries, including fresh meat and produce that can be harder to find in smaller communities.
For Benge, opening the store is about more than filling a downtown storefront. He said having a grocery store locally can strengthen the community while giving residents better access to everyday food.
A grocery store can also play a broader role in the future of a rural town. Members of the Center for Rural Affairs attended the opening and emphasized the importance of grocery stores to small-town economic development and quality of life.
Audrey Berns of Bladen said the new store could make grocery shopping easier for people who otherwise have to drive to Hastings. Beyond the mileage and cost of gasoline, she said shopping closer to home offers something that larger stores cannot always provide: familiarity with the people in the community.
Longtime Blue Hill resident Dewey Lienemann said the store could also benefit the area’s agricultural community. He pointed to businesses that once served the local agricultural economy, including a farmers cooperative and sale barn, which are no longer operating in town.
The opening represents an expansion for Benge’s Hometown Market business. A recent Red Cloud community update confirmed that the grocery operation had opened its second location in Blue Hill.
The Center for Rural Affairs has also highlighted the new Blue Hill location as part of its work around rural grocery stores. The organization scheduled a Blue Hill Grocery Gathering at Hometown Market on Aug. 26, bringing residents together to meet the new owner and discuss the role of small-town grocery stores.
Benge said he hopes Hometown Market can become a lasting part of Blue Hill’s downtown and contribute to the local economy.
The store is also asking customers for feedback as it gets established. Shoppers can complete a survey while visiting the market and share suggestions about what they would like to see at the store.
For a rural community, the arrival of a grocery store means more than another place to shop. It gives residents a closer source for fresh food while bringing additional activity to a downtown business district that depends on local businesses to remain active.
