June 9, 2026

The new owners of a grocery store in Garretson plan to double its size this year, along with an immediate expansion of the produce section.

Ron and Lorie Luke, who owned the Garretson Food Center for 30 years, have sold it to Maynard’s Foods, headquartered in Elkton. The family-owned chain established in 1987 operates 15 other stores in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa.

In addition to purchasing Garretson Food Center, Maynard’s bought an additional lot directly to the south and will build a 5,000-square-foot addition to the 5,000-square-foot building, said Gary Carlson, Maynard’s president.

“We’re going to expand to the south greatly,” he said. “And we were approved (last) Monday for an off-sale liquor license. With this expansion, we will be adding a large liquor department offering wine, beer and spirits.”

The grocery store on Main Avenue now will include the property from an existing insurance agency to the alley. Carlson expects to have the expansion completed by Sept. 1.

“They’ve got big plans for this place, and we’re ecstatic about what they’re going to do for this town,” Lorie Luke said.

Changes inside the store will be seen before that, however, with the expansion of the produce case. The meat, dairy and frozen-food departments will increase over a longer period.

Adding the Garretson Food Market to the Maynard’s chain was an easy decision because the community is growing and has a good economic base, Carlson said. Today’s consumers follow cooking shows on television and want to be able to prepare those recipes, he said.

“Everybody’s palate has expanded,” he said. “We felt we could offer people a better variety of product.”

Maynard’s operates food markets in Flandreau, Salem, Clear Lake, Arlington, Lake Preston and De Smet; in Akron, Iowa; and in Hendricks, Fulda, Lakefield, Mountain Lake, Renville, Westbrook, Tyler and Lamberton, Minnesota. Town sizes range from 750 inhabitants to 2,400, with Garretson in what Carlson calls “kind of the sweet spot” with 1,000 to 1,500 residents.

Sunday was the Lukes’ last day of ownership. They moved to Garretson three decades ago after purchasing the existing grocery from the late Virgil Musch, who owned stores in Lennox and two other towns. Ron Luke was assistant manager at a food center in Marion for 12 years before he worked for a grocery brokerage based in Des Moines for six years, traveling in the Sioux Falls area.

The couple, who have two daughters and one granddaughter, decided it was time to retire, Lorie Luke said, although they enjoyed serving their customers.

“The support from the community has been greatly appreciated,” she said. “It’s been a journey, and we’re so happy to have been part of that. This is the best-case scenario that could have happened for Garretson: Maynard’s with a better understanding of the grocery business. It’s a win-win for us and for Garretson and for Maynard’s.”

Maynard’s uses the same warehouse as Garretson Food Center, Luke said, along with the same software and point-of-sale systems.

“They can walk in on Monday morning and take over,” she said last week. “Of course, there will be changes. They’ll be doing different things. But they will take on all of our old employees, and they’ve gone through the jobs they would like to see them do.”

Garretson Food Center employed 12 people.

Hours at Maynard’s Food Center in Garretson will remain unchanged for now, Carlson said, but may expand as inventory grows. He said Maynard’s is known for the prizes and drawings it offers throughout the year, such as giving away a free Traeger grill from each location every spring. Signing up for the Maynard’s app will give customers the advantage of manufacturers’ coupons, Carlson said.

“I want people to know we offer great value on everything that we sell,” he said. “I believe we will have a greater opportunity of deeper deals and social marketing.”