Eisler Bros. Store in limbo

The historic Eisler Bros. Old Riverton Store on old Route 66 in Riverton, Kan., closed last week amid a possible ownership change, according to the store’s longtime manager, Scott Nelson.

The store, which has operated continuously since 1925, closed at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4, and will remain shuttered indefinitely.

“It has nothing to do with the store’s financial condition,” Nelson said by phone on Friday. “This was one of the best summers we’ve had. But we couldn’t keep it operating the way things were going. We’re closed due to circumstances beyond management’s control.”

Nelson, who’s been manager of the store since 1980 and worked there years before that, said he’s “in negotiations” to acquire the property, but wouldn’t say anything more on the record.

“I do have plans if I get the store,” he said.

According to property records, Joseph and Isabell Eisler of Allen, Texas, own the store. I heard through the grapevine during the Route 66 Festival in Quapaw, Okla., last summer that Eisler Bros. Store might be sold. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

If the store remains closed for an extended period, it will become somewhat of a hardship for Riverton residents. Not only is Eisler Bros. Store a Route 66 tourist attraction because of its excellent gift shop and hand-made deli sandwiches, but it remains Riverton’s only grocery. The nearest grocery sits miles away in Galena or Baxter Springs.

“The community is really upset about this,” Nelson said. “But the thing is, it’s the only week off I’ve had in 35 years,” he added, laughing.

“If it all works out well, we’ll  be back open, hopefully by spring. But there’s no guarantee.”

(Photo by Ron Hart)