If you live/work/play in Sun Prairie...

HOLY CRAP!

SUN PRAIRIE - The aisles of the Copps Food Center here were crammed Tuesday with shoppers eager to check out the newest grocery offering in Dane County.
But the 60,000-square-foot store at the corner of highways C and 19 on Sun Prairie's west side may soon have more competition. And for those who shop, a lot more choices.
An official with Janesville- based Woodman's Food Market said this week that the company would bring plans to Sun Prairie officials within the next two months for a 200,000- square-foot store near highways C and 151.
Across the street from the 25- acre Woodman's parcel, Prairie Development is working on a 105-acre project that would include 890,000 square feet of retail (by comparison East Towne Mall has 839,000 square feet) and which might include another large grocery store.
"We are interested in the area," said Joshua Thomas, a spokesman for Target, when asked if a SuperTarget could be coming to Sun Prairie. "However, at this time it would be too soon to say we're coming for certain or to speculate on a possible opening date."
The food business is big business in Dane County.
A SuperTarget, which is a combination Target and grocery store, is scheduled to open in July in Fitchburg. A Wal- Mart Supercenter is slated to open in September in Monona and another is planned for Stoughton.

Sun Prairie is a prime example of the growth.
In 1980, this city known for its sweet-corn festival and Jimmy the Groundhog, had about 13,000 people. Today, it's just over 25,000 and some predict it will be home to 40,000 in the next 10 to 15 years.
Residents of the Sun Prairie School District are debating whether to build a second high school while a second fire and police station recently opened on the west side of Highway 151, where much of the growth is occurring.
Until Tuesday, a Pick 'n Save and Conrad's Sentry, which has been family owned for 60 years, were the two main grocery stores in the city. The addition of Copps and the potential for additional grocery stores could also help keep more of the grocery dollars in Sun Prairie, instead of forcing shoppers to travel to Madison.
The Woodman's store would also pull people from Madison and other outlying areas.
"It's a great location to capture all of the north side of Madison," said Woodman's vice president Clint Woodman. "That area is growing out there and Sun Prairie is a great community."
Woodman's has 11 stores and is building its 12th store in the Milwaukee suburb of Oak Creek. The Sun Prairie store would employ about 200 people and could open by the fall of 2009, Woodman said.
Joe and Carl Conrad opened Conrad's Supermarket in 1947 after they returned home from World War II. Originally located in downtown Sun Prairie, the store has migrated to 1052 W. Main St. and has 50,000 square feet of space. Several of the employees have been with the store for 15 to 20 years and this year two employees celebrated more than 30 years with the store, said Nate Pederson, the grandson of Joe Conrad.
"We are going to do what we do best. And that's good customer service," Pederson said. "We've been in town for a long time and have some pretty loyal customers. We hope to keep them and gain some new business. I see us doing just fine."
At the Copps store on Tuesday, the talk was all about freshness. The store employs about 220 people and features larger produce, bakery, deli and seafood sections than regular Copps stores. It also has a sushi bar, salad bar, coffee shop and smoothie counter.
"I don't think we need two big stores like this," said shopper Barb Justl, 61, of Sun Prairie, when told of the Woodman's plan. "It certainly would hurt the smaller grocery stores."
The 99-cents-a-pound strawberries were popular, and so, too was the $4.99-a-pound fresh, farm-raised salmon. Copps seafood manager Randy Schultz said he may be selling 1,000 pounds of the fish per day by week's end. A former chef, Schultz's department also had on hand octopus salad, stone crab claws and whole trout raised at Rushing Waters Fisheries in Palmyra in southern Jefferson County.
"To have a background in how to prepare it goes a long way here," Schultz said.
Karen Flemal, 63, has lived in Sun Prairie for more than 30 years. She had her first taste of sushi Tuesday and her cart included green and white asparagus and oranges. Flemal said she won't abandon her shopping trips to the other stores and if more grocery stores come, it will mean more selection.
"Now, I don't know if we'll really need all of those, but I'll probably shop at all of them," she said.