Grocery store opens on Ridge
November 20, 2008
By Laura Geggel
Following a ribbon cutting the evening of Nov. 18, The Ridge Supermarket is open for business.
The Myers Group, which took only two weeks to remodel and restock the store, moved in after Village Foods IGA moved out. The new store has goods ranging from groceries to vacuum cleaners.
Maintenance worker Dale Danielson puts price tags on merchandise racks in the new IGA Ridge Supermarket.
“We want to be a full-fledged grocery mart,” said Store Director Larry Hooker.
In addition to carrying more merchandise, the 21,400-square-foot store will look different to shoppers. Each aisle is 20-feet longer and holds more variety items — Hooker used the term densing — than before.
The Ridge Supermarket held a “soft opening” Nov. 19 and plans to have its grand opening in early 2009.
“We’re going into the holidays and everything is hectic,” Hooker explained.
The Myers Group is a family business operated by Tyler Myers, CEO of The Myers Group. The group also runs gasoline stations and hardware stores.
Hooker is also operating with his family — his daughter Larissa Hooker is the co-assistant manager of The Ridge Supermarket.
Hooker entered the grocery-store business at age 15 when a store manager asked him to be a courtesy clerk.
“By the time I was 22, I was an assistant store manager,” Hooker said.
Since then, he has opened a handful of stores with various companies from Portland, Oregon to Kenai, Alaska, including Kress Supermarket in downtown Seattle.
Hooker said he was pleased with the new Ridge supermarket.
“Everything about this store said yes to me,” Hooker said. “It’s just the right sized store.”
The store’s previous owners, John Weller and Pete Ferren, operated IGA Village Foods for about three years, before declaring Chapter 7 in September.
“I know they ran into some bad luck and may have made some bad decisions in terms of marketing,” Hooker said. “We don’t plan to make the same mistakes.”
He said he was comfortable operating the store on the ridge.
“I’ve been around, up and down the block a few times,” Hooker said.
Reach reporter Laura Geggel at 392-6434 .221 or lgeggel@snovalleystar.com.
Comments
Got something to say?
Before you comment, please note:
- These comments are moderated.
- Comments should be relevant to the topic at hand and contribute to its discussion.
- Personal attacks and/or excessive profanity will not be tolerated and such comments will not be approved.
- This is not your personal chat room or forum, so please stay on topic.
