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New owner will purchase Giles food storeDUNDEE—The store on the Four Corners in Dundee which has been in the same family for more than 50 years will soon be owned by a new family. Giles Shurfine will be sold to Himrod residents Doug and Jackie Martini.Alan Giles said he and his wife Lew Ann decided about three years ago that this was the way they would go, commenting, “I’ve been here 37 years. I came back to Dundee back in 1972 after the flood.” Although he had a purchase interest from other parties, Giles said Martini met the criteria he had set: an owner who would would be in the store and would continue to be supplied by Olean Wholesale, the store’s supplier since 1984. Alan said, “Doug wants to continue the tradition. He came to me one day and said when you are ready, I want to buy it. We had hoped that someone would come along. He is enthusiastic and wants to keep the staff. Doug and Jackie will both be here. In a small town it’s important in a small supermarket that the owner be here.” Alan and Lew Ann will continue to be involved in the store for a few weeks. Lew Ann said, “We don’t know how long. We’ll help as long as it’s comfortable for them.” Alan added, “At some point it will be awkward to have us around.” He thinks he will stay on to help with the transition for about 30 days, adding, “Lew Ann might possibly stay a bit longer because her job is harder.” He went on to outline some of her work which includes scan coordinating, price changes, ad items and moving prices. One of the many traditions at the store has its roots more than 50 years ago. Giles’s dad came to Dundee in 1933 to work at the A&P and was drafted during World War II (about 1944). Alan’s mom managed the store until 1947 when he was discharged. The couple had saved money and also got some money from Alan’s maternal grandmother to buy the store. Alan said, “Grandma was a member of WCTU (Women’s Christian Temperance Union) and she asked that alcohol not be sold in the store.” That has continued to this day. Alan said, “I’m looking forward to this, but I’m a bit apprehensive. I hope it will be smooth and that people will continue to support the new owners. I’m so grateful for the community support over the years. It’s great to have a family oriented business. My sister Joanne and her husband Newell (Clancey) were involved in the store for years and their sons Tim and Doug are here. We’ve been blessed to have a lot of family help.” Asked what the future holds, Alan quipped, “It will be interesting to see if I’m still employable,” adding, “Well, there will be plenty to do around the house.” He said, “I hope it will work out for all of us. I’m grateful for the community support over the years. I want to see him succeed, continue to serve the community.” Lew Ann added, “We want it to be good for the community, employees, customers and the new owners.” Doug Martini said, “I always wanted to own my own store. I wanted the right store at the right price and time. I asked Alan if he was interested in selling about four or five months ago.” Martini is very familiar with grocery stores. He has been the meat manager at P&C for 20 years. Jackie Martini currently works with the Head Start-PreK program for the Corning School District. Her commute from Himrod will now be much shorter to her new position at the Dundee store. Martini said, “I want to keep things the way they have always been. It’s always been a nice store. I want to keep it that way; keep that tradition going.” Closing on the sale of the store is scheduled the morning of Oct. 5. The store will close at 6 p.m. Oct. 3 for inventory. |
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New owner will purchase Giles food store
Oct 07, 2009 at 02:22 pm by Observer-Review
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