Jun. 2—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Ideal Market in downtown Johnstown will close its doors this summer, the supermarket's owner confirmed on Friday.

Dave Mihalick, who has operated the 339 Walnut St. store since 1998, said that the labor shortage — and his intent to wind down his career — prompted the move.

Mihalick turns 70 this summer, and he said he's had difficulty finding qualified employees to keep the store running — even after shortening store hours during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I've been doing this a long time and I want to slow down and enjoy life a little," he said.

The store has a lot of "great customers" downtown, Mihalick said, but has been forced to continue to adjust through the pandemic, first shortening evening hours and then eliminating Sunday operations to accommodate unfilled jobs and shifts.

"It's just time for a new chapter," he said.

An exact closure date is not yet final, but a "retirement sale" will likely start in the days and weeks ahead, Mihalick added.

Mihalick's family and their business partner, Dave Mercik, operate four other Ideal Markets — in Geistown, Seward, Homer City and Vinco. Each will remain open, Mihalick said.

The Walnut Street building occupied by the downtown Ideal Market has been owned by the Johnstown Redevelopment Authority for decades.

Johnstown Redevelopment Authority Director Melissa Komar said she recognizes that the downtown Ideal Market's closure would leave a void for downtown residents, some of whom have barriers to accessing transportation.

Komar said she's hopeful that the gap will only be temporary.

It's expected that the authority will cast a wide net — in the form of a request for proposals — to find a new store operator. The authority already has made contact with one potential replacement, Komar said.

The city of Johnstown has several grocery stores, including Randy's BiLo on Osborne Street in the 8th Ward and two stores in the West End — Giant Eagle and Save A Lot.

Komar said that Mihalick gave the authority notice earlier this year that the store could close.

"And on Thursday, he called and said, 'It's time,'" she said.

She praised Mihalick for his dedication to the Walnut Street store over the years — and for "our great working relationship."

"We understand he has a lot going on ... and that he's looking to (slow down)," Komar said.

Mihalick noted that "nothing stays the same forever."

He started out in the grocery business as a teenager, working after school and summers in his parents' market on Napoleon Street in the Kernville section of Johnstown. By that point, his family had already carved out a niche in the local grocery business.

A trio of Mihalick brothers opened the family's first market in 1931 in Moxham.

"My dad was the one who came up with the name Ideal Market, and looking back, it was a great choice," he said.

Mihalick estimated that the store employs more than 25 people, including department managers and other staff. Key employees at the Walnut Street location have been offered jobs at their nearby locations.

He said he's willing to work with any interested parties willing to open a store in the space, adding that the store's equipment will be available for sale.