New owners hope to revitalize an empty Whatcom County grocery store

A local couple is hoping to breathe new life into a former grocery store on Nugents Corner.

Troy and Aubree Lozano purchased the former Dodson’s IGA grocery store at 3705 Mount Baker Highway as well as the building next door that is home to the Little Roadside Tavern. The three acres of commercial property near Deming sold Nov. 9 for $365,000.

The Lozanos are taking comments from the community for the next month or so, hoping to get feedback on what should go into the former IGA, which closed in April 2017. The Lozanos will then try to find tenants to lease the property.

While open to ideas, Troy Lozano said he believes a supermarket will likely work best, sharing the space with a restaurant or other retail.

What’s important is creating something the community can be proud of, he said.

“We are really excited about this,” said Troy Lozano in an interview. “We live nearby and our goal is to give the property some TLC so that it is no longer an eyesore. We’re looking for the right tenant who cares about this community.”

Putting some kind of grocery in the 20,000-square-foot building is a strong possibility because that’s something local residents miss, Lozano said.

While there are smaller convenience stores nearby, the closest full-service grocery stores are in Everson, Lynden and Bellingham, more than 10 miles away for some residents.

The Lozanos are not interested in running a business themselves in the building, because they already operate other companies.

They own Construction by Champion, a Bellingham masonry business, as well as two retail cannabis stores in Bellingham called 2020 Solutions.

Lozano said the Nugents Corner property won’t be leased to a cannabis retailer because he does not think the community would support it.

The Dodson family sold the property to the Lozanos. The Dodsons operated the IGA from 1964 until April 2017.

“We were impressed by Troy and Aubree’s passion for the community,” said Dave Dodson of Nooksack, a spokesman for the family, in a news release. “We believe they will make a positive contribution to the area.”

Community members can comments on the future of the property on the website nugentscorner.com.

This story was originally published November 14, 2018 at 11:52 AM.