Lorain is mourning a beloved community member who served residents for decades. On Monday, News 5 learned that former Fligner's Market owner, Kel Fligner, died at 84 years old.
Fligner's has been an iconic business in Lorain for a century, with the market being passed down through the generations.
Kel Fligner started working at his family's market when he was 10 years old, back when it was called Lorain Cut-Rate Fruit Company, which didn't really offer many groceries as people in those days mostly canned their vegetables.
The business expanded over the years and eventually changed to its current name. It's been in the same spot on Broadway Avenue since 1924. Fligner owned the business for decades, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. Today, the store is owned by his son and grandson.
Ask anyone who shops at Fligner's, and they will tell you how fond they are of the local business.
Kel Fligner told us previously that he attributed the store's continued success to his late wife, Marilyn, who worked with him through the thick and thin and troubled times.
He will be missed.
Watch our 2014 report on Fligner's being named Ohio's best store.
