Westside Market at 1504 W. Main St. opened May 1, 2017, as a work in progress.
“With so many people living on this side of town now, they shouldn’t have to drive seven miles to do their shopping,” owner Mark Raymer said.
Westside Market has become something of a general store, offering groceries, dry goods, automotive supplies and most recently beer and liquor.
Formerly Rich’s Discount, Westside Market is housed in a 132-year-old building, which has undergone considerable repair and rehab under Raymer’s ownership. He also owns the adjacent building at 1500 W. Main St., which was restored and now houses the Dawn Troyer Dance Studio. Over the summer, Merrill Glass moved into the space between the market and the dance studio.
While Raymer has rehabbed, then rented or flipped, countless buildings in Merrill over the years, Westside Market marks the first time he’s settled down to operate a retail business in one of his buildings.
“I did 24 years in the Marines, and I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to do when I grow up,” he joked. “This whole thing is an adventure.”
Being a small, independent retailer, Westside Market offers some challenges that keeps the business interesting for Raymer. He enjoys chasing the best prices on merchandise and snagging those “right place, right time” kind of deals.
The recently-installed walk-in beer cooler is one example. Wanting to add beer and liquor to the store’s offerings, Raymer needed a cooler. He found a church that had purchased a convenience store with the intention of demolishing the building. The church was selling all the store’s fixtures. From there he procured an eight-door walk-in cooler, dismantled it and hauled it back to Merrill.
The addition of the new beer and liquor department is an investment in providing expanded service to customers. Westside Market is also now a source for barrels of beer as quarter and half barrels can be reserved through the store.
Raymer runs Westside Market along with partner Ryan Peacock. Both of their daughters also help out at the store.
Business has been picking up over the past year, they noted, as people stop in to check out what they have to offer.
Interior improvements to the store are ongoing and an exterior facade facelift is planned for the spring. Future plans for the property include adding a laundromat in the northwest section of the building.