By Lori Ehde
Only three weeks after Cook’s closed its doors, former Cook’s employee Kathy Jarchow will reopen the doors as Gabe’s.
Leasing the 6,000-square-foot building from Bob Cook, Jarchow said Gabe’s will offer much of the same inventory as Cook’s shoppers are familiar with.
Why is the store called Gabe’s?
"My maiden name is Gabrielson," Jarchow said. "I didn’t think guys ordering Red Wing work boots would want to call ‘Kathy’s.’"
The store will have men’s and women’s clothing and shoes, and she’ll even hire the same Cook’s employees. "It’ll be the same Cook’s gang," Jarchow said.
Cindy Kooiker will be there full-time, and Henrietta Remme and Cleone Honken will work part-time.
Jarchow’s no stranger to the retail clothing business.
She started working for Randy Creeger when she graduated from Luverne High School in 1978.
After several years there, she was hired as assistant manager at Bostwick’s where she eventually became manager.
From there she worked for Bob Cook for 14 years. The last four years have been full-time as manager and buyer.
Jarchow said Cook’s clothing didn’t close because the business was doing poorly. Rather she said it was difficult to support the number of families that were depending on the business.
She said Gabe’s will be a secondary family income, and won’t offer the same volume of inventory as Cook’s did.
"Cook’s has always done well," Jarchow said. "I totally have faith in the community."
She said she’d been negotiating with Cook on leasing the building since he announced his plans to quit last fall.
Recent approval of a small business loan from the Southwest Minnesota Regional Development and local banks put the wheels in motion.
"I am very grateful to Dan Statema, Luverne EDA and Parnell Thorson for their help and guidance through this process," Jarchow said Wednesday when the loan was approved.
She’s planning to open Gabe’s early in April, but a grand opening won’t be scheduled until fall.
