Traditional general store in Wangen closes after 100 years!

Traditional general store in Wangen closes after 100 years!

The general store in Wangen, a small town in the Starnberg district, will close its doors on June 14, 2025. This shop has a tradition going back over 100 years and has been family-owned since 1917. Luise Jäger (69) and Christine Holzeder (59) have been running the business since 2006, but sales are no longer sufficient to ensure profitability. The two owners have already started reducing the range in order to have as few goods as possible left after the closure. As sueddeutsche.de reports, the Kramerladen sources its goods from Edeka and the “Starnberger Land” solidarity community.

The store's sales area is only 20 square meters, and on weekdays there are an average of 15 customers, and on Saturdays there are around 50. For many years, the store was an important meeting place for the villagers, who were often without a car. With the closure of the general store and the restaurant in the village, which has been closed for years, the local community feels increasingly alienated. Maria Ritz (89), a loyal customer of the store, is sad about the impending end. Younger customers are also affected: Rosi (6) likes to buy gummy drops and has a particular preference for sweets.

The transformation of the village community

The changes in the village community are not only reflected in the closure of the shop. The church pews are often empty and many residents no longer feel a sense of belonging to their place of residence. This development increased as the local infrastructure, such as the general store, increasingly disappeared. In this context, the general store is not only a shop, but also a place where social interactions took place. Their offerings included not only food, but also hygiene items and dry goods that were important for the villagers' daily lives. According to niederbayern-wiki.de), the Kramerladen was considered an essential supply facility in the country until the 1970s, offering not only products but also a sense of community.

The general store was a place where families could do their daily errands and children were attracted by candy or surprise bags. This form of retail was essential in rural areas, as many people often supported themselves from the proceeds of their own estates. This importance could be lost in the future due to the disappearance of such village shops.

Samy the dog, a favorite customer companion, will also experience a bit of the cash register during the store's final days. The anticipation and sadness of closure brings with it a bittersweet mix of memories and the truth of change in rural areas. In the long term, such changes can have far-reaching consequences for small village communities and have a significant impact on the social structure.