Graves’ Shop ‘n Save
celebrates 75th anniversary
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
LOOKING AT SOME OF THE OLD PHOTOGRAPHS and newspaper clippings that are currently on display in front of Graves’ Shop ‘n Save in Presque Isle – in celebration of the business’ 75th anniversary – are, from left: Charlotte Tarbell, who has worked for the Graves family for 37 years; Ryan Graves, Troy Shaw, a 22-year employee; and Greg Graves. The store will continue to celebrate its anniversary this week with giveaways, drawings, anniversary specials and a benefit barbecue from 3-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3.
PRESQUE ISLE – Bob Jr. and Greg Graves know that if it weren’t for their loyal customers over the years, Graves’ Shop ‘n Save wouldn’t be where it is today … celebrating its 75th anniversary.
“There have been some scary times what with big-box stores opening, and it’s been a tough road,” said Greg, “but people have believed in and stuck with us and we appreciate that.”
“We’re grateful to be here,” Bob said. “We’re extremely appreciative of the quality and caliber of people that we’ve been able to have work for us – some of whom have been with us for 18-20 years – and the loyalty and trust that the customers have put in us over the years.”
The history of the family business dates back to 1935 when Bill Graves and his sons, Vincent, Donald, Phillip and Robert, opened a small grocery store in Mars Hill.
Photo courtesy of the Graves family
BOB GRAVES SR., shown here in 1970, after moving to the present Graves’ Shop ‘n Save store on north Main Street in Presque Isle.
“As business grew in Mars Hill,” said Bob, “the boys decided to expand to Caribou in the mid-‘50s and then again to Presque Isle in 1959 when they moved into a new building on State Street.”
In the late ‘60s, Bob Graves Sr. was approached by Hannaford Bros. about the possibility of moving to a new location on north Main Street next to Mammoth Mart.
“Dad knew that if he didn’t move out there someone else would, so he decided to go,” said Bob. “The new store, which opened in April 1970, was approximately 18,000 square feet, almost double the size of the State Street store.”
With that bigger store came many of the newer trends in the grocery industry.
“At the State Street location, we had actually been the first grocery store in the area to offer fresh baked bread and home-style baked beans, but only on a small scale,” said Bob. “When we opened the new store, we had a complete deli department, as well as an in-store bakery. We take all of that for granted now, but back then it was a big deal.”
After the Caribou store closed in the early ‘70s, Bob Sr. bought out his brothers, Vincent and Donald, in 1977. The Graves family bought the Sampson’s Supermarket on south Main Street in 1985. In 1987, the north Main Street store expanded to 24,000 square feet and then again in 1991 to 39,000 square feet, its current size.
In light of the expansion at the north Main Street location, the Graves family decided to close the south Main Street store.
“It became an issue of running one larger store more efficiently than two smaller stores,” Bob said. “It was a very difficult decision for us to close that store.”
In 2002 the Graves family once again decided that the store needed a face-lift.
“This was by far our most extensive remodel,” said Bob. “We completely re-did the entire store. Cosmetically we put in a new floor, new ceiling, new lights and a complete new decor package and we replaced 75 percent of our equipment.
“We also put in several new departments. We added a pharmacy, a butcher shop, a fresh seafood department and a Nature’s Place department,” he said, noting that Nature’s Place is basically a health food store.
Bob said there are several reasons why customers continue to shop at Graves.
“In no particular order, I’d say it’s superior perishables, cleanliness, variety and customer service,” he said. “Most of the Customer Source surveys that we have had done identify customer service, fresh produce and cleanliness as the reasons someone will say they shop at a particular place. It’s not that customers can’t find those traits at other establishments, but other establishments don’t do them as well as we do.
“We try to emphasize customer service; it’s part of our training and – quite simply – we don’t tolerate poor customer service because that’s the thing that people remember. They can get the best of everything but if they’re treated poorly, that’s what sticks with them,” Bob said. “We do that because we know how important it is to us. When we go somewhere and we’re treated with respect and offered a good quality product at a fair price, we appreciate that and that’s what we turn around and try to offer.”
Competitive pricing is also important, Greg said.
“We’re extremely competitively priced,” he said. “In today’s competitive climate, you must be aggressive on pricing and we definitely are. Day in and day out, when you take everything into consideration – the quality of the product, the service you get, and the price of that product – we believe we offer the best value for your money.”
Ron Hodge, chief executive officer of Delhaize America Operations, recently congratulated Graves’ Shop ‘n Save on its 75th anniversary.
“The Graves have been our [Hannaford] trusted partner since 1945, making them the longest-running Hannaford wholesale customer,” said Hodge. “I have enjoyed a personal and business relationship with succeeding generations of the Graves’ family for more than 30 years and have always valued their trust and business partnership.
“They have consistently done an outstanding job of representing the Hannaford brand, blending an intimate knowledge of their local customer with a desire to stay on the cutting edge of the supermarket business,” he said. “We are proud to supply their Presque Isle store, and wish them many more years of success.”
A number of today’s customers used to come to the store as children when their parents were shopping.
“A few years ago we did some testimonials on the radio and one of them that sticks out in my mind was a woman who came into the store to shop and said that she used to come here as a little girl and she used to love it when we had samples throughout the store,” said Greg. “Now, that woman is a mother herself with her own little girl. She commented that the cleanliness of the store and friendliness of the people have always made an impression on her and continues to today.”
The Graves brothers have gotten to know their customers quite well over the years as they both started working at the store while in their teens.
“Right around the time we moved to Main Street, I was a sophomore in high school,” said Bob. “We still have a tremendous amount of customers that we’ve literally grown up with. They’ve grown up, had kids … and have been customers for 30, 40, 50 years and have stuck with us. They’ve been very loyal.”
Photo courtesy of the Graves family
GRAVES’ SHOP ‘N SAVE is celebrating its 75th year in business. Pictured here is the first store which was opened in Mars Hill by Bill Graves and his sons, Vincent, Donald, Phillip and Robert, in 1935.
Both Greg and Bob realize any success they have achieved can be directly attributed to the sacrifices of their father.
“His work ethic was incredible,” Bob said. “He would be in baking bread at 5 a.m. and locking the doors at 9 p.m. that night. Even when we were closed on Sundays, as kids, Greg, Mike and I would be in sweeping the floor and washing the meat case while he caught up on bookwork.”
“He also taught us not to rest on our laurels,” said Greg, noting that with his son, Ryan, as assistant manager, Graves’ is now a fourth-generation family business. “Every Monday morning started a new week with new challenges. It was like starting over. It was a new week, and you’re only as good as that week, and then you move onto the next one.”
Bob said another trait passed on from their father was generosity.
“Dad was so community-minded,” he said. “There were very few things that somebody would come to him and ask for financial support that he wouldn’t support whether it was SAD 1, the University of Maine at Presque Isle, the hospital, or the fair … you name it, he made sure that he gave back to the community to the best of his ability.
“After he passed away in 2004, we started going through some of his paperwork and found a stack of letters and cards that he had received from individual people who he had helped and nobody knew about it,” said Bob. “He didn’t want people to know; that’s the kind of person he was. We try to continue that trait.”
While the Graves family expanded to own five other supermarkets throughout the state, Presque Isle has always been home.
“Financially there were times when things were tough with all of the competition,” said Greg, “but giving up on Presque Isle was never an option. This is where we started and we love Aroostook County.”
A display that features old photographs and newspaper clippings has been created and is positioned in front of the store, located at 797 Main St. in Presque Isle, giving customers the opportunity to reminisce with the Graves family as they celebrate 75 years in business.
The store will continue to celebrate this week with giveaways, drawings, anniversary specials and a benefit barbecue from 3-7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 3. Get a hot dog, chips and soda when you drop off a non-perishable food item or monetary donation. Donated food and money will benefit Martha & Mary’s Soup Kitchen, and Graves’ will match all monetary donations up to $1,000.
