Kalona

Seventeen years is a long time to own and run a business, but JW’s owners Curt and Dawn Wyse have done just that.

Now, after years of serving the community, they are looking to sell the store and focus on other responsibilities.

The couple feels called to ministry and other work, including caring for Dawn’s parents, who are both 90 and older.

“We feel God calling us in other directions, and we don’t have the capacity to run this while doing those things and also caring for our family and different health things,” Dawn said.

For now, they plan to keep the store open while searching for a buyer who will continue serving the town and meeting the community’s needs.

They have not set a closing date. The couple has considered selling for several years and previously explored a sale “through less public channels.” Although potential buyers expressed interest, those opportunities fell through.

“We just got to the point where we said we just need to put it out there and let people know that if we can’t get it, we’re either going to sell it or close it, because we’ve got to get out of it. And so we said, ‘Well, let’s at least let people know, and hopefully someone comes forward to buy.’ I mean, that’s our whole intent. We don’t want to close.”

JW’s has been a staple in Kalona for more than 50 years. Dawn’s parents, John and Janice Wollerich, purchased the store in 1973 and moved to the area with Dawn, who was very young at the time, and her sister, Jonni.

Dawn grew up helping her parents at the store and became a paid employee by age 14. She continued working there for years before she and Curt purchased the business in 2009.

The store has undergone many changes over the decades. In 1980, the family purchased the diner next to the grocery store. Needing more room, they opened the deli and dining area in 1983. The former restaurant building was then moved to Iowa City, where it eventually became a house. Moving the building also created more parking space.

Curt began working at JW’s in 2004, with his son teaching him how to operate the cash registers.

“Our son, Jonathan, was already working here. He actually trained me on the registers when I started. He was either 14 or 15 at the time.”

Curt also spent time running the dairy department before the couple bought the store.

Over the years, they have experienced everything from a stolen car crashing into the building to the challenges of operating during COVID-19.

In 2013, police called them at 1:30 a.m. after a stolen car crashed into the back of the building near the deli. They were thankful they could remain open, as the car narrowly missed the bathrooms and the damage was confined to the back of the store.

Curt explained what they believed had happened.

"They had something they had put on the accelerator, and then apparently, the best we can tell is they just reached inside and popped it into gear. There was nobody in the car.”

Repairs took a few months, and they never learned who was responsible.

Another major challenge came in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think COVID changed everything,” Dawn said.

Social distancing requirements forced them to close off the dining area and shift to takeout service. They also had to make quick adjustments as new restrictions were announced.

Curt recalled having only about half an hour to prepare when the governor announced indoor dining had to stop. That meant blocking off the dining area and helping employees figure out how to continue operating.

“The governor just did this. We have to shut down the dining area. What are we going to do?”

The uncertainty required them to make difficult decisions on the fly.

“You punt, you just punt,” he added, “for us at the grocery store, punting is winning.”

For several months, the couple also adjusted their schedules so one worked at the store while the other worked from home. With a two-week quarantine required at the time, they wanted someone available to step in if the other became ill.

They also handled delivery and curbside orders, sometimes with help from community volunteers, while preparing for staffing disruptions if employees became sick or had to quarantine.

Beyond the pandemic, the couple has seen changes in shopping habits, increased competition, a wider range of products, different payment methods and changes in how manufacturers do business. 

Since COVID, they said, more customers have shifted toward frequent, on-the-go purchases and last-minute meal decisions.

“There’s not the shopping once a week for meals and whatnot. It’s figuring out where you’re going to eat for supper a half an hour before or whatever. Its people are on the move.”

They also discussed how commuting has affected shopping habits, with many Kalona residents working outside of town.

Manufacturer pricing practices have created additional challenges for independent, family-owned grocery stores. Delayed reimbursements, they said, can make it difficult to manage already narrow margins.

“You pay your regular price, and then four weeks later they do a scan on how many you actually sold and then give you the money. So basically, you’re selling it for less than what you paid for it, and waiting four weeks to just make 5%.”

Despite those challenges, customers from Kalona and surrounding communities continue coming to JW’s to shop or grab a bite at the deli.

According to Dawn and Curt, the quarter-pound cheeseburger is currently the most popular meal.

“The number one we’re moving right now is our quarter-pound cheeseburger, but that’s because we sell it for $3.99 on Thursdays,” Dawn said.

She added that the tenderloin remains a consistent seller.

“Year in, year out, our tenderloin.”

JW’s is located at 122 E Ave. in Kalona and is open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.