Changes in Winger as Helgaas Grocery building comes down

Last week the City of Winger said good-bye to the Helgaas Grocery building which was demolished. The store was closed for business in 1998 and the building has sat empty.

The real beginning of any organized settlement is the building of businesses to meet the needs of the people. Pioneers Lars and Ole Wick, who were the first grocers and dry goods operators in Winger, built the original building where the grocery stood. Ole Wick was the first postmaster, the post office was located in the rear portion of the store building. Upon the death of Lars Wick, John Ostby and later Julius and Martin Bagstad were associated in the business. The names Wick and Ostby and later, Bagstad and Wick were used. 

In 1919 Olaf Berge purchased the building and business from Bagstad and Wick, and operated under the name of Winger Mercantile Company. The store was remodedled in 1928 and again in 1948, nearly doubling its size and making it one of the finest stores in the area.

Upon Olaf’s death in 1963, his son, Karston, remodeled the store with an attractive new front and many other improvements. The storage room of the store was converted into a laundromat in 1965 and the egg station was made into a car wash in 1966.

In 1970 Julian and Bernadine Helgaas purchased the Berge Store, the laundromat and the car wash from Karsten Berge, The Helgaas’ connected with Fairway Foods until 1976 when the store became a Hartz Store. The store not only handled groceries, but also a line of notions and fresh meats. They also operated the laundromat and the automatic car wash.

Later the laundromat was converted to a beauty parlor named “The Hairport” and was first operated by Patty Messelt and later by Maureen Sebenaler until the beauty parlor closed.

The store became the Helling store when the Helgaas’ sold to Craig Helling. In 1991 Terry Cook purchased and ran the store until Brian Stuhaug took over and ran it until it’s closing in 1998.