Tale told of new-store adventure

November 6, 2019 | Vol. 78 - No. 32

Owners Doug and Mary Lou Lockard were working in their Coulee Wall Variety Store Saturday with daughter and manager Launi Ritter. - Scott Hunter photo

It took a lot of thought and prayer last February before Doug and Mary Lou Lockard and daughter Launi Ritter took a leap into a retail business with no experience.

Five months after opening their new Coulee Wall Variety Store, Ritter recalled for chamber of commerce members the story of starting up a complex store with nearly 12,000 individual items on its shelves - before there were any shelves, or anything, in the cavernous 4,400 square feet of open space in the building.

The family had explored the idea two years ago, as the previous variety store went out of business so its owner could...

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