Rural entrepreneur builds her hometown grocery business and community
The Grygla General store has been providing the small town of Grygla with food, supplies and community connection since 1910.
With the next closest grocery store 40 miles away, owner Cheyenne Irlbeck understands how important her store is to the community as a source of fresh food and much more. In a typical week, she may take order requests for specialty foods, clothing, pet supplies and household items such as snow shovels and lawn furniture.
With the area’s population less than 200 people, the financial reality is tough for Irlbeck and other rural grocery owners. Yet, these businesses are essential gathering places and providers for rural people. In Grygla, the community depends on Irlbeck and her store, so the more help she can get, the better.
In May, Irlbeck will join hundreds of rural grocers from across the country at the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit in North Dakota—an event co‑hosted this year by the University of Minnesota Extension Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships. Widely considered the premier gathering for independent grocers and rural food access leaders across the U.S., the summit offers a shared space for hands-on learning and collaborative problem-solving. Just the help Irlbeck is looking for.
A sense of responsibility
Irlbeck joined the General Store’s small staff at age 16. At the time, the store was known as the Grygla Cooperative Company, a name it had held since it opened its doors in 1910. She learned every aspect of the business and continued working there through college.
In 2013, a local farmer’s cooperative bought the business. For several years they worked to keep it running, but eventually made the hard decision to close the original Grygla store. They moved much of the merchandise across the street to a remodeled convenience store with a smaller footprint, but upgraded equipment and features. The store, now owned and operated by a local farmer, continued its important responsibility of providing food and supplies for Grygla residents.
A few years later, the store was looking for new owners again. Finding a buyer was proving to be a considerable challenge, raising concerns that they would have to close the Grygla doors permanently.
That’s when the owner approached Irlbeck about taking over it. Although she was a student at the University of Minnesota Crookston at the time, Irlbeck had years of experience running the store and understood its importance to her hometown.
After consulting her college advisor and tapping into her entrepreneurial nature, she decided to take the leap and buy the store. She graduated from college in May 2022 and took ownership in June, officially naming it the Grygla General Store.
Grocer-to-grocer learning
“Stores like the Grygla General Store are dotted across Minnesota and owners like Cheyenne express a deep sense of responsibility to their community,” explains Kathryn Draeger, RSDP statewide director. Draeger, who has more than a decade of experience leading research on rural grocers’ unique needs, has long recognized the important role rural grocers play in their communities.
RSDP offers resources for rural grocers, including the webinar series Shelf Life. Irlbeck attended as many of the webinars as she could to learn first-hand from industry experts and other grocers about topics ranging from managing staff and energy costs to negotiating freight minimums and repairing a leaky roof. She appreciated connecting with other grocers and learning from their experience. “Running a store can be a lonely business,” Irlbeck says, “Being the only grocery store for miles, I don’t have a cohort of grocery retail peers I can connect and learn from regularly.”
Draeger isn’t the only RSDP staff with rural grocery experience. Irlbeck has also worked with Northwest RSDP Food Systems Coordinator, Zachary Paige. Paige helped Irlbeck apply for a Food Retail Improvement and Development Grant (FRIDG), a Minnesota Department of Agriculture grant that funds equipment upgrades to improve food quality and energy efficiency.
Irlbeck credits Paige with helping her secure these funds but also encouraging her to explore other opportunities to increase foot traffic and sales, such as hosting a well water testing clinic.
“The well water event brought a surprising number of people out of the woodwork and into my store,” says Irlbeck, “which is saying a lot because I know just about everyone who walks through my doors.”
The National Rural Grocery Summit
“Serving as co-host of the National Summit is a big honor and opportunity to elevate our work with rural grocers,” states Draeger. “This conference is a special space for our rural grocer partners to connect with their peers and also learn from industry leaders, researchers and practitioners, including RSDP staff.”
Irlbeck is eager to attend the Summit and make more industry connections. She is also proud to be playing a unique role in supporting the conference. The Grylga General Store will be a tour stop for attendees, giving her a chance to bring grocers from across the county into her store to learn from her.
“I’m excited to be the “Up North” stop on the National Rural Grocery Tour and be part of shining the spotlight on small-town stores,” says Irbeck. “Rural grocery stores play an important role in keeping communities fed, connected and thriving. I’m ready to share what I’ve learned.”
PHOTO: The Grygla General store will be a tour stop for attendees at the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit. (University of Minnesota Extension)
