milltown remodel

  • By Tami Lange Mosser
  • March 5, 2014
  • 402
                        
Buehler’s Milltown was built nearly 35 years ago for a customer with the needs of a 1980’s-era shopper. That shopper has changed and so now has their store. A good deal of the remodeling has been completed, according to Buehler’s director of communications Deb Wilcox, but there’s plenty more to come. The remodel “is taking a little bit longer,” Wilcox said, “but that was intended, because we really want to make sure we don’t inconvenience the customer experience.” Already completed is the dairy department, where the once-open coolers have been replaced with more energy-efficient closed cooling units with doors. Those changes save energy, Wilcox said, and put most of the contents at eye level. In addition, the units along the walls can easily be filled from behind, which means the customer is unimpeded during the re-stocking process. And the floors, she said, pay a whimsical tribute to dairy, with a Holstein-inspired black-and-white pattern. The meat and seafood departments have been expanded, she said, and the UPS Store, the card shop and floral departments have been re-arranged to allow exposed floral cases to brighten up one of the store’s main arteries. Customers also can see the relocation of the Ritzman Pharmacy and the store’s over-the-counter offerings, which have been relocated to the front and eventually will have a drive-up window. The Kidz Park also has been relocated, Wilcox said, with the service desk taking the place in the front of the store that Kidz Park once called home. Come spring, more big changes will follow. Wilcox said that Buehler’s is keenly aware that its customers are more than ever focused on healthy eating and fresh produce, as well as organic offerings and prepared foods that follow that formula. “We have good intentions,” Wilcox said of the prepared foods shopper, “but our time is spent on other things.” So, produce is coming right to the front of the store, with an expended prepared foods section adjacent to it. Produce offerings have slowly been making their way to the front “because that is our key focus,” Wilcox said, “and that’s what we’re known for.” Also toward the front of the store will be a community room for small meetings and gatherings. Using it means “they just have to get on the schedule,” Wilcox said. “they can use it as a resource.” The restrooms will get a facelift, she said, as will The Mill restaurant. And because Buehler’s is expanding across the region, it will have more chefs and those chefs will be able to attend a Chef School, which Wilcox said “will be a training ground for new recipes and new menu items.” And Milltown shoppers can watch the process through a glass partition. Once the produce department moves, its long-time home in the far corner of the store will be a new area for the liquor Buehler’s has acquired with the purchase of Gary’s Liquor Agency north of the Milltown store in a strip center anchored by Buffalo Wild Wings and Tractor Supply Co. The drive-thru at that location has already closed, but Wilcox said Buehler’s will operate the separate store until it can move it into the Milltown store. Once there, she said, there will be a separate entrance and the liquor section will be bordered by Buehler’s beer and wine selections, which currently are housed adjacent to the dairy department. Buehler’s also has purchased the state liquor agency in Ashland, she added. Even the front of Milltown will undergo some changes, Wilcox said, “so there’s really no such thing as a bad parking spot.” The existing patio will be encased in glass, with doors on either side, rather than just at the front. It’s a lot of work, Wilcox said, but Buehler’s will continue to keep the customer at the forefront, with “promotions that will involve or engage our customers in the process of the remodel.” Because there are so many changes, Wilcox said, the store will make maps available once changes are complete. It might seem confusing, but “hang in there,” Wilcox said. “The end result will be worth it.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load