I worked for Midwest in the past and have friends that have recently been "let go" from there, This rumor is true. Nothing purchased and shipped from midwest comes from their physical location. Everything comes from NB's warehouse in Roseville, MN. Midwest, for now, still has a retail store in St. Louis Park. The shipping from this store has stopped.
I was in there recently and there was only two people working the floor and two people on the registers, lines were long and people were not getting the help they needed. When I started working there the founder/owner (who basically started MW in his garage) hired me with a handshake while walking around the store. It was a fun place to work and people had a great time being employed there. He sold to some investors and is probably enjoying retirement. I believe the company started down hill from there. Many well compensated employees were let go, prices went up and the attitude of the staff went down. There maybe a few, if any, original employees left.
Now I am certainly not a bitter ex-employee, this was a part time gig to fill the gaps when I lost my job during the recent recession. I left on great terms (to return to my trade) and was still greeted with a handshake and a pat on the back (even from the upper management) when I came back in to purchase supplies.