The Imbler Market sits at the corner of Ruckman Avenue and Main Street. The Imbler Market is on the real estate market.

IMBLER — The Imbler Market is on the real estate market.

Owners Malinda and Johnny Gunnels purchased the business in December 2022 from Karen and Glen Olson. Malinda Gunnels sees the market as an important part of the community, which the couple wanted to help preserve and improve.

“My goal was to own it for five years and improve the store,” Gunnels said. “That’s still my main goal.”

The husband and wife duo have worked to preserve the historic store, while also making improvements and expanding the available inventory. Over the last two years, they have added a hot deli case and a new sandwich table to offer more items to customers.

Gunnels said they also brought in six new slushy machines and more coolers, so they can offer more variety and drinks.

“My next goal is to replace our floor,” Gunnels said. “Our floor is in dire need of an upgrade, especially for my employees. It’s very uneven.”

Gunnels shared that one day she was in the walk-in cooler when an orange fell on the ground. It rolled out into the kitchen and all the way across to the other side.

“There’s definitely a lean, so it definitely needs some help,” she said.

The project is estimated to run $35,000, according to Gunnels. The owners are looking into grant funding, but may need to turn to the community for fundraising.

Gunnels said that she would also like to restore the brick facade. There are spots where the brick has been painted over, which she would like to remove.

“I’d like to put it back more toward its natural, original state,” she said. “It lasts forever and is just gorgeous.”

Family affair

Family has played a central role at the Imbler Market. Gunnels and her daughter, Chyrish, have been working hand in hand.

“My daughter and I run the store. So it’s brought us a lot closer. I figured it would either bring us closer or drive us apart,” she said with a laugh. “But it definitely has brought us together.”

Working together has strengthened their mother-daughter bond. Gunnels said it’s been amazing to see their collaborative ideas come to life.

“We talk about everything in the store together before we actually go into it,” she said. “We fund it, but she’s my manager and she helps me with everything.”

Chyrish Gunnels echoes these sentiments. She said that there have been ups and downs while working at the market, but the best part of the experience has been the impact it’s had on their bond and communication.

“One thing I will always take with me is the relationship with my mom,” she said.

The 23-year-old added that it’s been nice to see the changes to the store over the last two years. She’s had time to “learn our customers” and find out what they want to see available at the Imbler Market.

Her own plans for after the sale are still up in the air, but Chyrish Gunnels said she’s ready for something new.

So, why put the store on the market when there is still three years to go? For Malinda Gunnels the answer is simple — interest is bad right now and she thinks it may take a while to sell.

At the end of five years, she wants to have the Imbler Market sold and go back to working with her husband. Johnny Gunnels works as a fiber technician and travels all over Oregon, Washington and Idaho for his job.

When it comes to the next owner of the Imbler Market, Gunnels said that she’s looking for somebody who is ready to live in a small town and be a part of the community.

“I’ve requested that they keep our famous pepperoni since we’ve had that for so long,” Gunnels said.