Aurora’s Last Grocery Store to Close Wednesday

Zup's Has Been Open For 42 Years

As the new year begins, another Iron Range business is coming to the end of a long run. 

Zupancich Brothers, Inc. will be closing its Zup’s Foods location in Aurora, Wednesday, leaving the Range community without a grocery store.

Jim Zupancich said the idea of closing the store had been tossed around for three or four years, but the company felt such an attachment to the community, they did everything they could to stay open. 

Zupancich said the company went so far as paying the Aurora store manager’s salary with funds from a different store.

“We’re hurt over it,” Zupancich said Tuesday, “We feel like we’ve failed the community. It’s a terrible feeling.”

Bryan Boerger has been shopping at Zup’s in Aurora for years. 

Boerger says he’s in the store every week or two to purchase meat.

The meat cases were empty, Tuesday, so Boerger settled for some frozen pizzas and other items being sold at deep discount. 

Zup’s closing means Boerger will have to drive to Biwabik or Virginia to do his grocery shopping.

“That’s going to hurt,” Boerger said. “It’s really gonna’ hurt, I think, your senior citizens. I know the drug store did when that closed.”

Business has slowed all over Aurora. 

Boerger lives in Palo, and works overnights, but this year he had New Year’s Eve off of work.

“I came into town on new year’s eve,” Boerger said. “There was one car on main street.”

There are many factors that lead to the decline in any business, but the combination of shrinking customer base and growing competition can be the death knell for any retailer.  

Zup’s will open and close for the final time Wednesday, another business doomed by the plight of the steel industry, in a town struggling to recover.