Cooper's Foods, founded in 1917, to shutter last remaining store

A family-run grocer in Minnesota since 1917 will soon disappear.

Cooper's Foods last remaining grocery store, located on St. Paul's West 7th Street at St. Claire Avenue, is closing down, the Pioneer Press first reported Thursday .

The Cooper family closed their Chaska grocery store in March after 107 years in the community, leaving the St. Paul location their last remaining.

Sara Cooper announced the St. Paul store's upcoming closure in Facebook post last week, per the Pioneer Press . An official closing date hasn't yet been announced.

"We have been honored to serve the West Seventh community since 1992," she wrote.

In a Facebook post, St. Paul City Council Member Rebecca Noecker said she's saddened to learn about the upcoming closure.

"For me and for so many community members, Cooper’s has been not only a lifeline for fresh food but also somewhere you’d always connect with a friendly face," she wrote.

Noecker said keeping local retail strong along West 7th Street and other commercial corridors citywide is among her priorities.

"I’ve connected with our economic development team, and we are ready to assist in making sure this part of W. 7th Street remains vibrant and provides amenities the neighborhood needs," she wrote.

The Cooper family in March said owners Gary and Sandy Cooper, who are both in their 70s, could not take on the "financial burden" required to continue doing business in Chaska.

"On behalf of generations of the Cooper family and the outstanding staff that we have had, we would like to thank the many wonderful customers that have shopped with the Cooper's since 1917," their statement ahead of the Chaska store's closing read. "We are proud of the service that we have provided to our community."