The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

The Rosburg Store closed and locked its doors for the last time on Monday.

Absentee owners Keith and Selene Hillsbery from Kansas City, Missouri, called the store manager, Cathy Hillsbery (Keith’s stepmother), in Rosburg Monday morning and told her not to open the store.

The staff refused to speak with The Eagle as they closed up the store and pasted paper over the windows before leaving.

The Hillsberys bought the Rosburg grocery store August 8, 2009. They told then-owner Mike Swanson of Mike Swanson Realty that they were changing careers and were moving to Rosburg to be near the senior Mr. Hillsbery.

Originally, Selene Hillsbery moved to Rosburg to run the store while Keith, for financial reasons, remained in Kansas City to work a while longer.

The Hillsberys had the store for almost a year before they too put it up for sale.

“From what I understand,” said Swanson, “Keith was a trouble shooter for a chain of restaurants back East and his wife didn’t like the long-distance marriage.”

Swanson said he sold the Hillsberys the Rosburg store on contract.

“There was no warning of their intent to close the store,” said Swanson. “In fact, I only found out about it a few minutes ago after a few of my friends stopped by the office to tell me the store was closed and they were putting newspaper in the windows.

Swanson owned and ran the Rosburg Store for several years prior to selling it to the Hillsberys. He said he will probably take possession of the store as soon as he talks with the Hillsberys.

“I won’t be reopening the store myself,” said Swanson, “and it will remain on the market for sale.”