(NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERY
STORES ARE OBSERVING EIGHTH ANNIVERSARY?
By raui (ip; Lien
Neighborhood Groceries Asso
ciation is celebrating its eighth
anniversary this week.
Starting out in 1954 this group
of seven small grocery stores
has constantly met the competi
tion of chain grocery stores and
are even now expanding.
As individual stores they had dif
ficulty in meeting competition from
the larger units.
Over the years they have proven,
with their group purchasing and
organization, they are in a position
to compete with any national chain
In addition, members of NGA of
fer personal service, as always, by
one of these neighborhood stores.
Member Stores
Members of NGA are BAM Foo<
Mart in Lemeta: Stress Market. 525
SSteese Highway; College Inn, at the
foot of College Hill; Badger Shop
ping Center, %-Mile Badger Road
Denali Grocery, 1209 Ninth Ave.:
Airport Rood Grocery. Airport Way
and Park Drive, and Diehl Shopping
I Center at Delta Junction.
“We are striving at all times tr
lower the costs to the consumer and
yet maintain our quality," said J ick
Schleppegrell, owner of Steese Mar
ket.
“Our cost of doing business is
down—and we have Tcept our oper
ating costs down as well.
“We are all out of the high rent
areas which lower our operating
costs, and we try to pass these bene
fits on to the customer,” said
Schleppegrell.
Arrived in 1951
Schleppegrell came to Fairbank.
in 1931 from St. Paul, Minn., where
he graduated from St. Thomas Col
lege. He was born in Park Rapids.
Minn., Feb. 15. 1926, and in 1935
his family moved to Princeton
Minn,
During World War II Schleppe
grell served with Patton’s Army in
Europe for two years—1943-45. Ar
riving in Fairbanks in 1951, Jack
worked two years in construction
before going into the grocery busi
ness.
Innovations Schleppegrell has
stressed in the grocery business are
outdoor produce displays and buy
ing from local vegetable producers
to help build the local farming in
dustry.
At this time Steese Market is ex
panding into a two-story structure.
Old-Time Alaskans
Boyd and Stella Hering, who own
the College Inn, are real oldtime
Alaskans. They have been in the
grocery business near College for
10 years.
Hering came to Alaska as a baby
with his parents during the Gold
Rush in 1838. Later the family
moved to Fairbanks.
As a boy Hering delivered news
papers and worked as a printer's
devil around Fairbanks. He attend
ed Fairbanks High School and then
went into the jewelry business as
an apprentice with Eddie Suter. whe
had a store where Sach’s is now lo
cated.
Later Hering worked for J. Vic
Brown and Avakoff, and then An
thonsen and Arthur S. Brown as a
watchmaker and jeweler.
Mrs. Stella Harrington Hering
lived as a small girl at Cleary dur
ing the boom days in the Fairbanks
area. She and Boyd were married in
1920 and have two daughters, Mrs.
Mildred Bettisworth in Fairbanks
and Mrs. Fred Kelly of Delta Junc
tion.
Badger Owner
Fred Pope, who owns Badger
Shopping Center, came to Alaska in
1939 from Idaho. In 1941 he married
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The U. S. Army Engineer District.
Alaska, is issuing Invitation for Bids
62-24 offering for safe' one • 1 > build
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Bids to be opetfBd 2:00 PM 16
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Further information and bid forms
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Engineer District, Alaska. P. O. Box
7002, Anchorage. Alaska. ATTN: Real
Estate Division. __
Pob. June 13. *>,-i7, 19«»
NGA GROCERY OWNERS PLAN WEEKLY AD FOR JESSEN’S —
Shown left to right are: Bernie Shier, Denali Grocery; Jack Schleppe
grell, Stcese Market: Fred Pope, Badger Shopping Center; Richard
Rowell, Airport Road Grocery and Boyd Hering, College Inn Grocery.
Other members not shown in photo are Gil Innes of B & M Food
Mart and Ludwig Bergh of Diehl Shopping Center, Big Delta. The
NGA stores, a cooperative organization of neighborhood grocers, ari
celebrating their eighth anniversary this week in Fairbanks.
—Photo by JY Stuilo
Thelda Lance, a registered nurse, |
md they have four boys.
Pone worked as an electrician for j
he United States Smelting, Retin
ng and Mining Co. from 1939 to
942, and when the war broke, took
» job at Ladd AFB in the same
rapacity.
During those years Tope is well
•emembered as an outstanding
laseball player for the Fairbanks
City League. He pitched and played
he outfield and was a real slugger.
The Popes started their store in
'952 and have continuously ex- !
sanded. They now have a large
udf-service stove specializing in
'resh meat, wholesale meat and
nakc their own sausage.
Airport Grocery
Operator of the Airport Grocery
s Richard Rowell.
This sto~e was originally built
nd operated by Chet and Pearl
Strand. Later it was purchased by j
M.&R., Inc., and then finally by :
the present owners.
Rowell has been in Alaska for 10 j
years, conning here from Boston,
Mass. He managed a family-owned
drug store later in Tacoma, and
hen came to Fairbanks.
In Fairbanks. Rowed worked for
both the A.&W. Wholesale and the
Co-op Drug Store.
Ludwig Bergh and his family ar
rived in Fairbanks in 1960. after
previous sightseeing and business
trips had made them decide on liv
ing in Alaska.
Bergh’s entrance into the grocery
business was a long step from his
past work as a cost accountant in a
large California company. He now
manages the Diehl Shopping Center j
at Delta Junction.
Shier Owns Denali
Owner of the Denali Grocery on
9th Avenue is Bernard (Bernie)
Shier.|
Shier was born in Lansing, Mich.,
in 1927.| He went to grade school
and high school in Lansing and in
1944 joined the Navy, serving until
1946.
In 1949 Shier came to Fairbanks,
taking a job here with Mort Cass
and Della Hill in the Alaska Mar
ket on 4th and Cushman. He worked
there for six years until taking
over the Denali Grocery from Ring- j
stad.
Sheir and his wife Patricia live
at 758 8th Ave.. and have five
children. They also have a home on
Harding Lake, where Bernie likes
to spend the week ends with his |
family.
B&M Food Mart
Gil Innes, owner of the E&M
Paint perks up your
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Our expert professional
paint job is worth every
penny you pay for it . . .
in longer-lasting protec
tion and beauty for your
home!
Phillip Sundquist
. PAINTING CONTRACTOR
lit
Dial GL 6-4089
Food Mart in Lemeta, has been in
the grocery business since 1952.
Prior to that time Innes was owner
of a nightclub in Fairbanks.
Innes was born in Dillon, Mont.,
and after finishing high school, at
tended Montana State College.
Besides owning B&M Food Mart,
Innes owns a half interest in the
Arctic Neon Sign Co. and the Glen
allen Lodge.
Innes met his wife. Billie, while
he was an engineer for the State
Highway Department in Boise, Ida
ho. Mrs. Innes was a secretary for
her uncle, who was a judge. They
were married in California where
Innes took a job with Consolidated
Steel.
They have four children, Susan. 17,
who was born in Las Vegas, Neva
da, and Johnny 11, Evans 9. and
Sheila 5, who were born in Fair
banks.
I
Around Town with First National
Alvin Martin
Before coming to Alaska in
1901 Alvin Maxtin, owner ana
operator oi White Swan Laun
dry and Coin King Laundromat,
was in the frozen food business
in Egeland, Norm uaxtuta.
Born in Lgeiand January 25,
19m, lviarun xmisned mgh school
and later worked on ms fatn
er’s farm. Bis father was a civ
il engineer for me North Dakota j
State Highway Department.
liring of lite on a farm, Mart
in began working in a locker j
plant handling frozen vegetables
and meats. He continued in this
business for five years.
in 1951 Martin and his wife, |
Phyllis, came to Fairbanks to :
visit his sister. Kathryn Evans, j
whose husband worked in the
construction industry.
Taking a liking to the country.
Launtny when they occupied the basement of Genes Amo -
vice on 1st and Wickersharn.
In 1955 Martin bought the business from Gull and sold it
IJeciding to expand in the laundry business, Martin bought
White Swan Laundry in 1959. .
Coming from a state where be was able to hunt and fish T >
his heart’s content, Martin would like to try his luck in Alaska—
but he says he just doesn t "have time .
In addition to owning White Swan Laundry. Martin- pur
chased Coin King Laundromat in January of this year. He
also has acquired eight apartment units in Arctic Park.
Mrs. Martin also comes from Egcland where she and her
husband went to school together.
The Martins have one son, Alvin Jr. (Pepperl, who grad
uated from high school last year in Fairbanks and has just
completed' his first year at- the University of Alaska.
Even though managing his various enterprises keeps Martin
on the go around the clock* he says he -still manages to get
away occasionally for week-ends at Hafding Lake.
-
Open Your Account at First National—Everybody’s Bank!
first National Bank
“First -In Strength, Size and Service Since 1905”
Banking Facility, Clear, Alaska
Banking Facility, Ft. Wainwrtght
Member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation