Oct. 16—POPLAR — A historic building in the village of Poplar is back in business following a year-long remodel.
The former Village Market grocery store on Main Street has been retooled as a four-unit business center, Village Marketplace, by Wyatt Nevin. The first tenant, Tiger Nutrition, opened its doors Oct. 6.
"We served 163 healthy meals on our first day," said Alexandra Boucher, who co-owns the shop with Mackenzie Correll.
Tiger Nutrition offers healthy fast food options in the form of teas and shakes. It is meeting a demand from area residents — Poplar had a population of 629 in the 2020 census — and passersby. The most recent traffic data from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, taken in 2019, showed a daily traffic count of 6,800 along U.S. Highway 2 in Poplar.
"We're excited to be here and be the first people in the building," Boucher said. "Hopefully, it will inspire other people to move in next door."
They knew there was opportunity in Poplar, Boucher said, but prior to this there wasn't any space available. That changed when they learned about Village Marketplace.
"And we came and looked at it when there weren't even walls and you could just kind of see through everything and know that there was potential just because it's in such a good location," Boucher said.
Correll, who grew up in Hawthorne, said she used to stop by the Village Market for snacks after school. The change to the space, she said, was "a total 180."
"Wyatt did a really good job remodeling," Correll said.
The 11-foot-tall ceilings give the 500-square-foot shop a more spacious feel, she said. They were able to customize their space, including leaving an original brick wall exposed.
"We got to pick the paint, we got to pick the flooring. It's really in your own hands," Correll said.
The new business is a reunion of sorts, pulling together a trio of Northwestern High School alumni. Boucher graduated in 2019; Nevin in 2018; and Correll in 2019. For Boucher, who owns
Empower Superior Nutrition
and Correll, who owns Backwoods Nutrition in Iron River, the new shop is a chance to return to their roots.
"We like being in this community. This is our community — where we grew up — that's familiar to us. This is home to us," said Boucher, who lives in Poplar.
Tiger Nutrition is open from 6:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Visit the
Tiger Nutrition Facebook page
for more information.
Built in 1925, the Village Marketplace building has been in the Nevin family for generations. Nevin's great-grandfather ran the grocery store, followed by his grandparents Tim and Darlene. After they retired in 2018, the building sat vacant.