GUERNSEY – Guernsey’s only grocery store, Lynn’s Superfoods, posted a sign on their front doors this morning, Feb. 19, stating they were closed for business.

A phone call by the Guernsey Gazette to the grocery store confirmed the closure is permanent, and a direct result of the public comments, and lack of a decision by the Guernsey council at their meeting Tuesday night on the sale/transfer of a liquor license to Lynn’s from Ben’s Bar. The representative of the store on the phone call refused to give their name, as they didn’t want their name to be associated with the decision, but added there was no official comment by the store management, as of this morning (Feb. 19).

At the council meeting, members of the public, including Lana and Doug Swingholm of Crazy Tony’s, protested the transfer of the liquor license to a “large chain grocery store,” which could result in the closure of two small business, Crazy Tony’s Bar and Grill and Kelly’s Bar, who rely on package liquor sales to keep their business lucrative and pay the salaries of dozens of employees in the town of approximately 1,200 people.

The center store supervisor of Lynn’s Superfoods was at the meeting. Myron Kruckenberg addressed the perception of the store being a “multi-million-dollar corporation” who makes a lot of money. He said every store stands alone, and the store in Guernsey has lost money for the last five years: $153,878 in 2023, and the first two periods of 2024, ending in August showed “we lost $302,407,” Kruckenberg said. “While I appreciate Crazy Tony’s and Kelley’s [comments], this is a lifeline for this store (the liquor license transfer). I don’t want to hurt anybody. Whatever the sentiment is in Guernsey, I understand.”

Kruckenberg set the record straight as far as contributing to the community, mentioning they gave thousands of dollars to the food pantry, along with several donations. “I want you to think about something before you get too crazy. We don’t want Crazy Tony’s and Kelly’s closing…but the store needs to become self-sufficient.”

Addressing a comment by a different community member who suggested a decision to pass the liquor license transfer was a “done deal” before the meeting, Kruckenberg said, “I apologize for putting an extension in the store. I can put it back, no big deal, whether this is approved we can change it or not. However, unfortunately, I can tell you, if this is not approved, the grocery store will close within 15 – 30 days. This is the reality of doing business. We have lost $100,000 in two years.”

Ben’s Bar owner Wayne Perkins said he has weighed the decision whether or not to agree to the sale / transfer of his business’s package liquor license, and finally decided it would be good for his family and his business. “Financially this will help me. All three bars are suffering, and I am doing this because I was approached and thought about it for six months…I didn’t know it would have this kickback.”

“We serve the community, we have served everybody sitting here…The way it is, it’s a move I want to make, and I guess if we want a workshop, have a workshop, but I’m not sure how long this is going to last,” Perkins said. He pointed out later in the meeting, he owns the license, and he has a right to sell it by following the law. “It will do the same thing for my business; everyone is threatening to close. You pour your life into that [your business]. We lost our *** too. Covid took a toll on all of us, and we haven’t come back. I’ve lost $400,000 in the last years too.”

To which Lana Swingholm said they felt he went behind their backs without contacting the other two businesses a transfer of the license would affect. “If we had those conversations, this would be a completely different situation with this.”

Diana Preston, director of the food pantry in Guernsey, said, “You cannot believe the food the store gave us for the pantry… and they give us a percentage of grocery receipts [back to the food pantry]. I don’t have an opinion on the liquor license, but I want to tell what they give us to help our [community], and we have more and more all the time who need help.”

Councilwoman Penny Wells emphasized a decision concerning the liquor license had not been made prior to the meeting, and she believes businesses have a right to conduct business in a way that makes sense to their own interests. She stated she didn’t see how people can tell other businesses what decisions they must make.

When it came time to vote on the liquor license transfer, councilman Joe Michaels stated he was abstaining from the vote, and leaving the room, since he had a conflict of interest with his position on the board of the Guernsey Food Pantry, and past benefits it has received from Lynn’s Superfoods. “I don’t want my tie-in with that to sway the way I would vote, so I’m leaving the room.”

After Wells made a motion to approve the liquor license, councilman Dale Harris jumped in with a question to the mayor and parties involved, “most of these people are [wanting a] workshop. Could we have everybody agree to do a workshop before moving on this?... This is a pretty small night (because of the weather), and a bunch of the town needs to be here to discuss it.”

“Can everyone live another 10 days to have a workshop,” Harris asked, with no one stating anything to the contrary.

Councilwoman Wells responded, “If you wanted a workshop it should have been requested in the last few weeks.”

Councilman Jeremiah Fields said he agreed to the workshop idea, and mayor Ed Delgado agreed more seniors would benefit from being able to voice their opinion. The mayor agreed to a workshop being set for the end of next week, after being advertised in the paper, after checking with the Wyoming Liquor Division for the proper way to proceed with notifications, etc.

It was anticipated to have a decision, hopefully, by the next council meeting.

Then the next morning, on Feb. 19, the store put a closed sign on their front door, leaving the town’s residents no other choice but to go to the Dollar Store for whatever items they can provide, or to travel out of town. The nearest grocery stores are in Wheatland or in Torrington, a 30-minute drive either way.

As to the store choosing to close, Ben’s Bar owner Wayne Perkins said it’s a “heartbreak.” Chris Sachanandani, co-owner of Crazy-Tony’s, said, “I know no one in town wanted a grocery store to close. That is not what we wanted when we voiced our opinion last night. If that’s truly the case (closing because of the comments at the meeting), it’s a shame it’s closing.”

“We just wanted to be heard on our viewpoint on the impact the liquor license will have on our business,” Cachanandani continued. “We don’t wish ill on the grocery store or [Ben’s Bar], we just wanted our voice to be heard and have a discussion, but it didn’t work out that way…and we have no ill feelings towards [any of the parties involved].”

Councilwoman Wells said she’s extremely mad and disgusted about the store being closed. “It’s a sad day for Guernsey,” she said, adding she felt strongly the council should have made a decision at the meeting rather than tabling it to hold a workshop, there would have possibly been a better outcome.

“I feel bad, people complain about [prices at the local grocery store]. I wish they were lower too, but there are so many elderly people who have no other place to get groceries, and they don’t drive out of town. This affects the whole community, not just the bars,” Wells said.

“I am so disappointed the other councilmembers were not able to put on their big boy pants and make a decision last night,” Wells said, adding, now they need to “tell that lady she is not able to get groceries…maybe gas up a vehicle and offer to take [some of these people] out of town [for groceries] because you were being wishy-washy, you cost us a business in town.”