New Employment Help Center Opens in Old Kress Building, Grocery Store Will Open Soon

Loretta George

4 years ago

A1 Towing and Moving, Fort Scott, moves shelving into the new grocery store, which will be located in the Old Kress Building, 17 S. Main.

A resource center in the former Kress Building, 17 S. Main is open in downtown Fort Scott.

The center is called the BWERC which stands for Bourbon County Workforce and Entrepreneur Resource Center.

The first floor is currently being prepared to sell groceries, while the second floor is open for business as a multi-partner center to help with COVID-19 related issues.

Downtown Grocery Store

BAJA Investments LLC, Healthy Bourbon County Action Team and a local farm and ranch food cooperative grocery store will be located on the first floor, according to info from Hoener.

BAJA Investments will manage the grocery store that will open sometime in the second half of December 2020, said Bill Michaud, developer for the business. The store is as yet not named, Michaud said on Nov. 3.

The first-floor space will have shelving, coolers and freezers for
local produce and meat.

This will increase access to healthy food, and make more food available for local food assistance programs, Hoener said.

To view a recent story on the grocery store, click below:

New Grocery Store In Downtown Fort Scott Is Coming

Employment Related Services

Through a multi-partner collaboration of Bourbon County government , Pittsburg State University Small Business Development Center www.pittstatesmallbusiness.com, Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce http://fortscott.com/, Fort Scott Community College http://www.fortscott.edu/ , Kansas Works http://sekworks.organd BAJA Investments LLC , the hope is to address the urgent COVID-19 related crisis needs in Bourbon County, according to information provided by Jody Hoener, economic director for the county.

The large room of the B WERKS Center on the second floor of the Old Kress Building in downtown Fort Scott.

The building will be used for distance learning and teleworking and also a place for childcare businesses to become legal and thus help in childcare relief during the pandemic, Hoener noted.

A work room in the BWERC Center in the old Kress Building in downtown Fort Scott.

The plan is to give businesses the tools and technical assistance needed for increased online capabilities and the assistance to
obtain the money needed to sustain their business.

There is also unemployment and job-seeking assistance.