Charles Lierk, better known by the community as Chaz, has been associated with Thiele’s, an icon store in Alliance’s history, since he was a child. He grew up in Alliance, left for his schooling, and returned to Alliance in 1974. In 1982, he bought the little shop from his father.

Thiele’s has a long history and many memories attached to it. It began in 1904, when Harry Thiele named the store “Thiele’s.” Before that, it served the community as a pharmacy.

In 2012, Thiele’s was in the process of selling their in-store pharmacy to Safeway when, on a summer day in June, an armed man came into the store and began what would become a 14-hour standoff. Even through this tragedy, Safeway still decided to continue the plans to buy the pharmacy. Shortly after, the store was remodeled and a boutique was added. The store soon reopened and the community support was overwhelming. In talking about the incident, Chaz and Ellen commented that a situation like that really makes you prioritize your life and realize that there is not much we have control over. They realize even more now that what is important is their family, relationships, and faith.

After 111 years of service to our town, it makes everyone wonder why the beloved building is closing it’s doors. It wasn’t an easy decision and they prayed continuously about it. First of all, Chaz and his wife and co-owner, Ellen, are both reaching retirement age and decided that they wanted to spend the next few years traveling and visiting their kids and grandkids. Another reason for the closure is that a key Thiele’s employee has decided to retire after 19 years with the store, so they decided the beginning of February was the time to close for good and enjoy the next chapter of their lives. To put a positive spin on a bittersweet event, they’ve decided to name their last days a “Retirement Sale” instead of the usual “Going Out of Business Sale.”

Chaz and Ellen aren’t going to be moving out of the community, and instead want to continue their heavy involvement and service to the community.

There are no plans for the future of the building yet. The hope for the store was that it would be sold to someone that could carry on the Thiele’s tradition, but Lierk’s were unsuccessful in finding a buyer. They have decided that they will continue to try and sell the building in hopes that it will be taken over by another entrepreneur who continues it’s legacy as a retail store.

Chaz is a wonderful example of those who grow up in Alliance, leave, and come back. Living in Alliance has been very positive for the Lierk family. They’ve learned that you can make a huge impact in a community like our own.

Closing the store will not be easy for the Lierks. When asked about their future, they said they would definitely miss the personal contact with the people of Alliance. With the closing of the store, many old customers have come back in and shared their memories of the store from when it was an important gathering spot in Alliance, to today. Ultimately, Chaz and Ellen were always able to meet needs in the community, and they would hope another entrepreneur could do that.