A staple of the tri-cities is closing its doors after 94 years in business.
The Blue Goose Market, which first opened its doors in 1928, has announced that it will be ceasing operations within 30 days.
Paul Lencioni, owner of “the Goose” as it is referred to, has run the market for almost 10 years, and he is the fourth generation in his family to do so since it opened nearly a century ago.
See history of Blue Goose Market
Lencioni’s great grandmother Annunciata — known as Nancy — opened the Blue Goose Fruit Store in the 200 block of St. Charles’ West Main St. in 1928. It survived the Great Depression and food rationing in World War II, expanding to include a meat market in 1946.
In 1995 it undertook at $2.3 million renovation project, which included adding a bakery.
The store has struggled in recent years, however. In July of 2019, Lencioni made a public plea to customers to keep the store open, an effort that appeared to have succeeded. Then came COVID in early 2020, which threw the operation into a frenzy, adopting online ordering, scouring suppliers for out-of-stock items like toilet paper, and just generally having to adapt to what was effectively a “black swan” event.
“Every day it feels like we’re pushing five days of living through a single day,” Lencioni told the Chicago Tribune . “So there’s not much room for being inefficient.”
It is likely that the market’s ultimate demise was due to changing demographics and technological change. The crucial demo of younger shoppers has been elusive due to stiffer competition and changing shopping habits.
Regardless, it is a huge blow to the community, which has nurtured the Blue Goose for so long. As much as a local business can, it represents the passing of an era.
