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MITCHELL, S.D. - With forever changing and evolving markets, South Dakota's small-town grocery store owners are tasked with staying relevant among shoppers both young and old.

While some attempt to bring in new, unique products, and still more opt for deals and competitive prices, most retailers in the region can agree on one trick: Engage with customers.

But how they stay relevant differs. Many have built websites for their business, where they post product listings and others resort to weekly email newsletters.

With the recent closings of rural grocery stores in Scotland, Tripp and Tyndall, Chad and Mandy Keller, owners of the Total Stop Food Store in Canistota, have realized the value of their engagement efforts.

Mark and Pam Mora, of Tripp, had leased the three Corner Grocery stores from R.F. Buche, who owns the properties, since May 2016. The couple shuttered the properties March 18, and have not returned multiple calls from The Daily Republic for comment.

An 18-year veteran of the grocery store business, Chad Keller has witnessed first-hand the benefits of staying "with the trends" both in product selection and peoples' adapting preferences for updates. The Total Stop Food Store has its own Facebook page, where Keller regularly posts the store's specials and upcoming events at the store and in the community.

In addition, Killer focuses much of his efforts toward social media and email, which he said appeals to younger generations, while others, especially the elderly, can still find coupons and other information in local newspapers.

"I think it's very important to have your own grocery store in town because it just keeps the community together," Keller said. "We have good support from our school and other businesses in town here, so, in turn, we support them back."

According to the South Dakota Retailers Association (SDRA), the number of membership stores has remained nearly identical through the past five years at approximately 150 registered businesses across South Dakota. But, according to Membership and Services Director Seanna Regynski, it's difficult to say how many state towns with populations less than 5,000 have grocery stores because membership with the SDRA is voluntary.

'It takes everyone'

While the Corner Grocery closings have hurt the Bon Homme and Hutchinson county towns, it has reaped "grim" rewards for a pair of other area grocers.

Ron Pelton, 28-year owner of Ron's Market in Avon, said he believes the success of a town as a whole is truly what determines the success of its grocery store.

And, to Pelton, the success of a town can be traced back to the success of its grocery store, too, creating a chain reaction where one is dependent upon the other.

"It takes everyone to run a town," Pelton said. "If people leave the town to buy groceries, they'll buy other things while they're out of town, too. It's a big chain reaction you want to keep within city limits, if you can."

With aging populations in rural South Dakota towns, Pelton said his business maintains fairly steady traffic. But the abrupt mid-March closing of the trio of Corner Grocery stores left the communities reeling and searching for a new place to shop. Many have chosen to journey to Avon and Springfield's stores, Pelton said, resulting in a slight uptick in business.

But the loss will be short-lived, as Buche, recently announced he will reopen all three stores shortly after Easter Sunday, April 16.

And, while officials in each community have expressed relief and gratitude for Buche's decision to reopen the stores, Scotland Economic Development Board Member Greg Gemar said it served as a learning opportunity for residents.

"The fairly short length of the closings does minimize some of the effects of it by far," Gemar said. "But in the end, hopefully as a community we come out a little bit stronger. Sometimes we take for granted things that have always been there, and while we can't buy everything locally, we can all do our part to generate economy."