MITCHELL – One of Mitchell’s largest vacant buildings could soon become the new home of Krohmer Plumbing.
The city planning and zoning commission on Monday approved Krohmer Plumbing’s plan to move its entire Mitchell office and showroom to the former Shopko building.
“I’m glad someone is using the building,” said commissioner Kevin Genzlinger.
Mitchell’s long-time plumbing company, which was planning to move its location from the western edge of Mitchell to the Shopko Building, unveiled a major change in plans for the commercial building.
In 2022, a South Dakota Native American tribe purchased the Shopko Building for $1.6 million. The Flandreau-based tribe of Santee Sioux purchased the large commercial property to convert it into a medical marijuana production facility. Since the tribe took ownership over a year ago, there has been no sign of any construction activity on the property.
According to city planner Mark Jenniges, the owners of Krohmer Plumbing are in the process of buying the building from the tribe.
If the move goes ahead as planned, Krohmer Plumbing would move from its office at 401 S. Ohlman St. to the 71,846-square-foot building on the north side of Mitchell.
The building housed a Shopko for several decades until the company closed the Mitchell location after filing for bankruptcy in 2019. Mitchell was among all Shopko stores in South Dakota that closed in 2019.
Frank Krohmer, owner of Krohmer Plumbing, said a fence will be installed along a portion of the parking lot that faces the north side of the building. Plans indicate the store’s entrance will remain on the west side.
Krohmer Plumbing has been an integral part of the Mitchell community since 1984. Over the past few decades, the family business has expanded its presence across the state. In addition to its Mitchell office, Krohmer Plumbing has offices in Sioux Falls and Rapid City.
Sam Fosness joined the Mitchell Republic in May 2018. He was raised in Mitchell, SD and graduated from Mitchell High School. He continued his education at the University of South Dakota at Vermillion, where he graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in English. During his college days, Fosness worked as a news and sports reporter for The Volante newspaper.
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