After serving the community for years, Latimer Grocery closed its doors on January 29th. Now, the store has reopened under new ownership — Clay and Sarah Miller, along with Sarah’s sister, Deana Hernandez — and with that change comes a new name: Latimer’s.
Sarah Miller says the decision to rename the store reflects its commitment to the town and the people it serves.
“When we talked about this wonderful opportunity, we thought about all of the possibilities. So when we thought about what is the perfect name, we said ‘Latimer apostrophe S’ because again, truly it’s all about the community. So this belongs to Latimer. It’s Latimer’s. It’s Latimer’s grocery. It’s Latimer’s deli. It’s Latimer’s daily specials. And you know, there could be some surprises along the way in the future of what this place truly could continue to be. And so we’re just leaving it open ended right now as Latimer’s, belonging to Latimer and the surrounding community because there’s going to be a lot of amazing things that are going to come this way that’s going to be able to serve this community and this community hopefully can be very proud of.”
The Millers and Deana moved to Latimer last summer and saw an opportunity not just to run a business, but to invest in their new hometown. Hernandez brings a strong background in hospitality and retail management, something the family believes will help the store grow while maintaining the small-town feel that residents value.
Sarah Miller says in rural Iowa, a local grocery store is more than a place to shop — it’s a gathering place and a vital resource.
“So we knew with her strength and her power that we could really make anything possible. So we want to continue to give the community and those surrounding communities, like you mentioned, things that they really, truly love and that they need, whether it just be the day-to-day items or to be really excited about the upcoming special. But yeah, we really do hope that we are able to serve the surrounding communities and whether you’re just traveling through or it’s a short travel to Latimer, we hope that we can continue to serve the community and make sure that we are providing those things that everybody needs.”
Latimer’s is now sharing daily and weekly specials and updates on Facebook as it begins this new chapter. You can find more about Latimer’s here.
Pictured Sarah Miller (left) and Deana Hernandez (right)
Full interview below
