First Avenue Hy-Vee Store in Cedar Rapids to Close Next Month

The Hy-Vee store located on First Ave. in Cedar Rapids will close its doors for good next month.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette confirms that the Hy-Vee located at 1556 First Ave. NE in Cedar Rapids, as well as another location in Waterloo, will shut down. A company official stated the closing of the stores was because "they have not consistently  met our financial expectations and sales goals over the past several years." The Cedar Rapids location will close on June 23rd.

The Gazette reports that the First Ave. Hy-Vee opened back in 2002 after the city of Cedar Rapids dedicated a $915,000 incentive package to replace a small, rundown Hy-Vee store nearby. The store was said to be important as it served two of the city's older eastern neighborhoods, Wellington Heights and Mound View. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated the area as low-income, meaning that the poverty rate is 20% or higher, according to the Gazette. 

Cedar Rapids mayor Tiffany O'Donnell, in a statement, called the closing "incredibly disappointing." The Gazette reports Cedar Rapids city council member Dale Todd said that the decision "hurts a lot of people." Todd also called Hy-Vee's decision to close the store "shortsighted" and "an abandonment of some of our community’s most vulnerable."

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Hy-Vee officials say that customers in areas affected by the closings can still use the online ordering and delivery system. The delivery service charges $9.95 with a minimum purchase of $24.95, according to the Gazette. 

Hy-Vee still has six other stores located within Cedar Rapids.