GROW NEBRASKA STORE MOVES TO NEW LOCATION, CHANGES NAME
KEARNEY – The GROW Nebraska store in Kearney’s Hilltop Mall is moving to the Younes campus in the space formerly occupied by Mac’s Creek Wine Bar in Kearney. The GROW store officially opens at the new location at 421 W. Talmadge Road No. 1 on Monday, October 1.
“We are excited about this new location close to the interstate and the new traffic it will bring to our store,” GROW Nebraska CEO Janell Anderson Ehrke said.
The GROW Nebraska store features more than 3,000 products created by 288 Nebraska entrepreneurs. Products range from t-shirts and books to lotions and barbecue sauces. Top-selling products at the store are Big Red Popcorn on the cob, Great Plains Honey Farm Kettle Corn, Preferred Popcorn (Cheese), Rowdy’s Hard Tack Jerky and Hilger’s Agri-Natural Hulles Gourmet Popcorn. The store serves as a showcase of products made by some of GROW’s 400 plus members. It has been located at the Hilltop Mall since 2005.
With the move, the GROW Nebraska store is changing its name to BUY Nebraska to coincide with the organization’s online shopping site www.buynebraska.com that features more than 3,500 made-in-Nebraska products.
The move will also allow GROW Nebraska to create a dedicated space for its new Innovation Center that will provide onsite training and education for members. The GROW Nebraska Innovation Center is made possible through a grant from the Peter Kiewit Foundation. Read more about the GROW Nebraska e-Commerce and Marketing Innovation Center here.
Paul Younes, president of Younes Hospitality, said the location should be a great match for GROW Nebraska.
“We are looking forward to having them here,” he said. “I think it will be great to have them here with all the convention traffic we have.”
With the continuing addition of new restaurants and hotels in south Kearney, Younes said the new location will give GROW Nebraska more exposure and new customers.
“Here, they can expand their market with people from all across the state and people driving across the country on the interstate,” Younes said.
GROW Board Member President Rodney Whipple of Arapahoe said he also is excited about the new exposure this move will bring to members’ products.
“This is an exciting time for GROW Nebraska,” Whipple said. “With our 20th anniversary this year, it seems like a fitting time to find a personal location for GROW Nebraska.”
The store will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 24/7 online at buynebraska.com.
GROW Nebraska is an educational non-profit organization headquartered in Oxford that empowers entrepreneurs through business training, technical assistance, promotion and market opportunities. It provides education and training to individuals and small business owners across Nebraska, with an emphasis on economically depressed areas, to create sustainable economic development and marketing opportunities. GROW is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2018.
