Bland Corner Market at 201 W. Colorado Avenue in Bland, owned by Jason and Megan Krause, closed unexpectedly Sunday, March 24. 

Signs on the windows announced the business would not re-open due to “unfortunate circumstances.” Community members that tried to visit the station Monday morning were met with papered windows and locks on the door. 

Megan Krause said circumstances surrounding the closure of the business couldn’t be helped.

“Our family size increased tremendously this past year and with Jason’s car accident, he has been in a wheelchair for five weeks and has a couple of weeks left,” Krause said. “Between family, matters, the station, business and the farm, there was no way to do it all with one person. As much as we didn’t want to do it, it was business or family. And we sometimes have to put business aside and do what’s best for family instead of business.”

Bill Smith, owner of Highway 28 Discount Foods at 110 W. Colorado Avenue, Bland, said his businesses has been about the same since the Corner Market closed, but wished they could have kept the fuel tanks going somehow. “I wish they would put a gas box in to-go,” Smith said. “Kind of like a Redbox for fuel.”

Krause said she doesn’t believe her family giving up the responsibility for the station will keep it closed for long. “The Corner Market is for sale,” she said. “We are working on more meetings and negotiations with a certain party. We are hoping that the next owners will have the time to put into it where we ran out of time at the end. We are just trying to streamline and simplify as much as possible in life, to accommodate our large family.”

They bought the store from Bruce Sassmann in 2014. 

“We would like to thank all of our loyal customers and know that this will have a deep impact on the community, but we are in hopes that there will be someone new that has the time to dedicated to this company as we no longer do.”