WILLMAR -- Holm Brothers Sportshop and Hardware -- a business that has been in the area for 94 years -- will be closing.
The Willmar store was closed Monday to prepare for a liquidation sale that begins at 9 a.m. today.
The store has been at its First Street South location since 1978, but has been in the area since 1912.
The owners, John Holm, Roger Holm, Randy Klein and Kornell Erickson, will not comment publicly about the closing until next week, Erickson said.
Monday, the front doors were covered with neon green paper, and signs declared: "Going out of business. Sale. Sale. Sale" and "Liquidating to the bare walls." Shoppers drove to the store throughout the day Monday to find it was closed to get ready for its "going out of business" sale.
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Marilyn Niewenhuis of Prinsburg said she was "surprised" and "very disappointed" that the store is going out of business.
"I just can't believe it," she said.
She and her husband, Junior, have been regular customers at the store for 20 to 25 years and buy all their plumbing supplies there as well as Christmas decorations and hunting and fishing licenses.
Martina Perez of Willmar and her husband had come to the store Monday to buy boots and wondered what had happened. They've been Holm Brothers customers since they moved to Willmar 20 years ago and buy clothing and heating and plumbing supplies there. She said one employee fixes things for them free of charge.
"It's a bummer," Perez said.
Tim Minke of Willmar said he is "not that surprised" the store is closing because Home Depot and Menards are in town.
Josh Reuvers of Willmar was planning to look at coats and fishing gear Monday at Holm Brothers. He said people will have to go to Spicer instead for certain gear and said he isn't surprised that the store is closing.
"I figured they were going to close a long time ago," Reuvers said.
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In July, Holm Brothers ran advertisements in the West Central Tribune promoting a storewide sale to reduce inventory. The advertisements said the store needed to reduce inventory by $400,000 to pay off a partner who was leaving the business.
"Yes, Holm Bros. is planning to stay in business, but we need to reduce our inventory," the advertisement read.
Ron and Eletta Linn of Blomkest had driven to Holm Brothers Monday looking for an electric frying pan.
"I thought it was a nice place, a nice place to shop," Ron Linn said. "Everybody seemed to be friendly there."
