‘Our passion is the community’: Economy Supermarket changes hands, owners look back
Posted 11/7/19
By Madeleine Sutherland Record Staff Writer Jack Groeper has worked only one job in his life: at Economy Supermarket, the grocery store his family has owned for 60 years. The supermarket was …
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‘Our passion is the community’: Economy Supermarket changes hands, owners look back
Posted
By Madeleine SutherlandRecord Staff WriterJack Groeper has worked only one job in his life: at Economy Supermarket, the grocery store his family has owned for 60 years.The supermarket was purchased by Jack’s parents, Bill and Faye Groeper, in 1955.“From the time I could sweep the back-room floor, I worked at Economy Supermarket,” Jack said.Bill and Faye Groeper built the supermarket’s current location at 103 W. Second St. N. in Wright City in 1965. In 1992, Jack and his wife Mary bought the store from his parents and have operated it until last Thursday, June 11, after they decided it was time to sell.The Groepers state their reason for selling the supermarket is wanting to spend more time with each other and their grandchildren.“We want to have less worries and a little more fun,” Jack said. They also plan to travel if possible.The couple has spent a large portion of their time over the last 23 years making sure Economy Supermarket ran smoothly. The store, which was open seven days a week, required constant oversight.“The store was always on your mind,” said Jack. “Even if you’re away, you’re thinking, ‘Oh is everything going well?’ ”However, the store also gave them many opportunities along the way.“It afforded us to do some things that some people wouldn’t get to do,” said Mary. “We got to go to conferences and meet other store owners from across the state and become friends with them.”Economy Supermarket witnessed many exciting events in Wright City history, from when the famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales brought a case of beer by the store in 1996, to when murderer Michael Jackson was on the loose in the city. Helicopters used the empty lot behind their store to land during that time, according to the Groepers.“It’s had its good times and it’s had some bad times, but it’s been our life,” Jack said.The Groepers, who are highly involved in the Wright City community, do not plan on decreasing their involvement even though they have sold the store.“Our passion is the Wright City community,” Mary stated. “Selling the store was bittersweet because we’re going to miss our customers and our employees, but we’ll still be around.”The couple is now able to enjoy their coffee in the morning with no worries, while the supermarket’s new owners, Harry and Bev Kishpaugh of Wright City, take on ownership of the store.Harry Kishpaugh, a former minister, grew up in the grocery business and had the dream of owning a supermarket for many years. The Kishpaughs are currently making changes to the supermarket’s interior and the store also will sport a new name: Farmers Super Market.“We will carry the business on,” said Harry Kishpaugh at a recent baord of aldermen meeting. “It will be pretty much the way it’s been. We are excited to be a part of the community.”Though selling Economy Supermarket is bittersweet for the Groepers, it marks another chapter of the grocery store’s rich history in Wright City.The Groepers hope that the people of Wright City will support the business in the same way they have in the past.“There’ll be a few changes, and that’s good. Change is good,” said Mary Groeper. “I think that they’ll be fine.”
After 60 years of ownership in the Groeper family, Economy Supermarket has been sold. Pictured, from left, are Mary and Jack Groeper.
