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In celebration of the Wright City Chamber of Commerce's 80th year, the Record is publishing a series of stories to highlight the local businesses that call Wright City home.

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It’s been a little over a year since one of the longtime businesses in Wright City, a grocery store at the corner of Elm Street and Second Street, was bought by a new owner.Formerly known as the Farmers Super Market, the store had gained a poor reputation, said new owner Hanny Yatim. That’s a reputation he is working to undo and rebuild at the renamed Hanny’s Market, both with the physical store and in the service delivered to customers.Yatim grew up in Bethlehem, Israel. He and other family members eventually moved to the U.S., with Yatim arriving in 1996. He owned a convenience store in Hazelwood for 11 years, which he sold to move his family to Wentzville about two years ago.In taking over the Wright City grocery store in May 2018, Yatim saw an opportunity to return to his small-town roots and provide a service that would be part of the local community. But first he had to make the store more appealing.“I took all of the old freezers and cooler equipment and trashed them,” Yatim said. The cases for meat, soda and produce are all new. The lights are bright, the floors are clean, and there’s new air conditioning. And that’s just what customers can see — he said the store’s electrical system had to be replaced to support the new equipment. The changes took about a year.All in all, buying and renovating the store has been a $514,000 commitment to Wright City. Yatim said his goal is to provide convenience and quality for people in Wright City so they don’t have to drive to another town to buy daily groceries.“I might not have everything, but I have 90 percent of what people would go (to a grocery store) for,” he commented.Still, overcoming the store’s old reputation and competing with big grocers in Warrenton and Wentzville has meant introducing some new items and services to the store. He changed to a better quality food supplier, especially to improve the quality of meat at the store. Lunch items and a salad bar are now available. Yatim installed a service counter where customers can buy lottery tickets and pay their utility bills.And to offer more convenience to local customers, Hanny’s Market takes orders over the phone that Yatim often delivers personally. He is active in running the store, explaining that he wants to provide personal service to his Wright City customers.“When you come, you talk to me. ... This is the way I build my communication with my customers,” Yatim explained. “I like to talk to people so they can get to know me.”

Employee John Yatim jokes with customers about the store’s guarantee on fishing bait at the checkout of Hanny’s Market in Wright City Aug. 8. John’s brother, Hanny, purchased and renamed the store from its previous owner in 2018. 

Record photo/Adam RollinsKelly Hill, a member of the Wright City Area Chamber of Commerce, said interacting directly with the business owner is one of the advantages of shopping local at Wright City stores.As an experiment, Hill purchased the ingredients for a spaghetti dinner at Hanny’s Market, including Texas toast and a bottle of wine. Then she went to the Walmart in Warrenton to purchase the exact same meal. The items did cost a total of $9 more at Hanny’s — few stores can compete with Walmart on price — but Hill said the convenience and service at Hanny’s are worth it.“It took me forever to find a parking space (at Walmart) and the lines inside were long unless I wanted to use self-checkout,” Hill said. “At Hanny’s, parking was easy, finding what I needed was quick, and when I checked out I was helped by the owner.”The other benefit of shopping local, she said, is that part of the price stays in Wright City as sales taxes that benefit the city as a whole.Mayor Dan Rowden agreed.“Sales tax is a big part of the revenue that allows the city to operate and provide various services that the citizens want and need,” Rowden explained. “It basically touches everything. Public works, street repairs, the police department, city hall staff, snow removal, all those types of things.”Local businesses also support local jobs, he added. The mayor said city leaders always encourage residents to shop local when they can, a policy the city government also follows.“Reach out to businesses and encourage them. Especially new businesses. It takes a lot to try to make it a good service to the citizens and provide quality,” Rowden commented.Yatim described that relationship between residents, businesses and the city as a system of mutual support.“You live in this city. Won’t you take care of this city so the city can take care of you?”

Hanny Yatim, owner of Hanny’s Market in Wright City, provides personal customer service for local shoppers. Yatim spent significant time and money upgrading, cleaning and reorganizing the store location after purchasing it in 2018. 

Record photo/Adam Rollins