Durand area mourns loss of local businessman

A long-time Durand grocery store owner passed away last week, rekindling fond memories of a small, locally-owned business.
Roger Kallstrom, former owner of Roger's IGA in Durand, was born May 24, 1928, on the home farm in the Little Plum area of rural Pepin to Wilfred and Gladys Kallstrom. He attended eight grades at Little Plum School, a year at Arkansaw High School, and graduated from Durand High School in 1946.
After high school, Kallstrom enlisted in the U.S. Army and served at Camp McGill in Japan. He was honorably discharged in late 1947 with the rank of Sargeant.
Kallstrom was married to his wife, Virginia, for 63 years. They were married in 1951 at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Arkansaw. Shortly after their marriage, Kallstrom was called back into service as a reservist during the Korean conflict. The Kallstroms have four children: James, Audrey, David, and Thomas.
After being discharged in 1951, the Kallstroms farmed in Pepin until 1955. Kallstrom was approached by Dick Thompson, who owned the Red Owl Grocery store in Menomonie, and became his business partner.
Kallstrom's wife and daughter, Audrey, said with a new store coming in, Roger was burnt out. He needed some time away from running a grocery store, and worked at Gateway Foods in La Crosse in store development.
In 1957, the Kallstroms purchased a farm in Downsville, and moved to Durand in 1960 when they purchased Gilmore's Grocery. They remained there until 1966 when they built Roger's IGA at a new location in Durand, where Cenex currently sits. The Kallstroms ran the store for 30 years before retiring in 1996.
A March 21, 1996 Courier-Wedge article stated Kallstrom said purchasing his own grocery was an excellent opportunity, but the first two years were quite tough, requiring the family to work hard and smart to stay afloat.
"He enjoyed working with people," Audrey said. "He just enjoyed working in general."
The store that was built in 1966 was 5,000 square feet, and eventually expanded to 15,000 square feet. Kallstrom added 2,500 square feet in 1974 on the west side, which eventually became the bakery. In 1982, Kallstrom doubled the size of the store by adding another 7,500 square feet on the north side. The expansion kept the Kallstroms busy, working hard every day of the week.
While running his business, he remained working at Gateway Foods until 1989. Between the two jobs, Kallstrom often put in 70 to 80 hours per week. In the article, Kallstrom stated that it was pretty tough sometimes, but he believed that's what kept the store afloat when times were tough.
Kallstrom took two years to think about closing his store before finally deciding, due to a variety of reasons, including economics. Vast and fast changes in the food vending industry, increasingly expensive and stiff government regulations also contributed to the decision.
In the 1996 article, Kallstrom stated he was joyful to have served the Durand area for 36 years. He said he planned to take advantage of his time to enjoy activities with family such as Friday fish fries and church on Sundays, since he had been working during those times for many years.
Being in the grocery business in Durand for 36 years, Kallstrom said the grocery business was changing, and fast, when he retired in 1996. The store was sold to Durand Cooperatives, and the store remained open through March 30th with limited inventory at discounted prices for customers to take one last stroll through, or to pick up a few things.
Audrey said all of the kids were involved in the business at some point in their lives, and Jim was involved the longest.
"Food was a big part of our lives, between the grocery business and farming," Audrey said. "Dad was raised on a farm, and was a farm boy, then went to the opposite side of the spectrum and ran a grocery store."
Kallstrom also enjoyed driving the Durand royalty in the Funfest parade.
Audrey said people were the best part of having the store.
"I remember having box after box after box of 10 cent bananas on Saturdays," Virginia said. "While the farmers were at the mill, their wives waited for the bananas to be set out, so we put out folding chairs for them up front. Could you imagine nowadays, putting chairs in the front of a grocery store for people to wait for a product?"
Audrey recalls helping at the store, and having lutefisk delivered in soft wood boxes around Christmas time.
"It was quite stinky," she said.
Both Virginia and Audrey agreed lots of laughs were had.
"We worked hard," Audrey said. "And we met a lot of nice people. We tried to give good customer service to set us apart from the big chains."
Audrey also said she remembers delivering groceries to peoples' homes.
Kallstrom was active in many community groups, such as the Fur, Fish, and Game, American Legion, Lions Club, Knights of Columbus, and the Sportsman's Club. He loved golfing and playing cards. He was also a supporter of the annual golf tournament to support the hospital. Roger's IGA also sponsored a softball team, which took second place in the Plum City Summerfest Tournament in 1985.
Kallstrom also loved the Green Bay Packers, and Virginia said he loved driving his antique cars.
Kallstrom's funeral was held December 11 at St. Mary's in Durand.