We want to make sure we build a store we know we can keep there forever”

Jim Zupancich

COOK- “Our first day was wonderful,” said long-time Zup’s store employee Toni Swanson. “There were so many friendly faces. Everyone is so happy to see us back.”

While the reconstruction of the Zup’s Grocery Store is yet to begin, a smaller store, a “Mini-Zup’s” is now open next door to the former grocery store location, right behind the Subway.

Last November, the Cook’s Zup’s store was destroyed after an overnight electrical fire gutted portions of the building and created extensive smoke damage. Initial plans were to get the new store built as soon as possible, but the unexpectedly high cost for rebuilding hs delayed, but not cancelled, plans to rebuild.

“We want to make sure we build a store we know we can keep there forever,” Ely Store Manager Jim Zupancich said earlier this year. “We’re being cautious with building costs.”

The new mini-store is now open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.– 6 p.m.

The store opened Tuesday, and a steady stream of shoppers was in and out all day.

“Everybody was looking for Zup’s sausages and porketta,” said Swanson. “The porketta was the first thing to run out.”

But shoppers don’t need to worry. When items run out, they are quickly resupplied from another Zup’s location.

The store is stocked with fresh and frozen meats, Zup’s sausages and other Zup’s specialty meats, fresh vegetables and fruits, dairy products, groceries, and a sampling of most basics needed for day-to-day cooking.

“We are so excited to have our little store open until we get the new store built,” said Swanson. “And 12 employees are back at work.”

“It feels good to be back in business,” she said.

Zup’s is still doing grocery delivery to homebound seniors in the Homestead and Pioneer Apartments.

“This service has been very popular,” said Swanson, who along with Mark Eyre, of the Cook Lions, does the actual deliveries.

Swanson said they are still doing the homebound delivery. “It keeps us in touch with friends and family,” she said.

COOK - Higher than expected building costs have delayed the rebuilding of the Zup’s store here, but company officials say they’re committed to bringing a full-service grocery store back to town.

Last November, the Cook’s Zup’s store was destroyed after an overnight electrical fire gutted portions of the building and created extensive smoke damage.

“We want to make sure we build a store we know we can keep there forever,” Ely Store Manager Jim Zupancich said. “We’re being cautious with building costs.”

The details on what those costs are remain private for now, but Zupancich said that a meeting scheduled for the first week of June should clear the way for the start of construction by late summer.

The original plans called for construction of a new and larger store on Zup’s Hwy. 53 location, but much higher-than-expected construction costs have prompted the company to reconsider, which means the new store may be similar in size to the original structure.

In addition to the new store, the city also plans to redo some of the water lines in the area with the help of IRRRB grant money. That project includes extending water lines around the Zup’s property and local streets and adding additional fire hydrants.

In the meantime, organizations such as the AEOA are helping residents obtain their groceries if they are unable to make it to Virginia or Tower on their own. Information on the program can be found by calling 1-800-662-5711 ext. 6899.

More information on the building project should be available later