By Kristine Kern
Review Staff Writer
It has been a year of change at the Ellsworth Food Center. When Larry and Cathy Lewis stepped away from the business in January 2018 and their daughter-in-law Kimberly took over with support from their son Michael, Kimberly hit the ground running. She is officially the sole proprietor of the Ellsworth Food Center as of July 2018 and has been busy making her vision of the business a reality. While Kimberly is the owner, this continues to be a family business with Michael taking on the remodeling duties as well as doing some grant writing for the business, something he claims to be no expert at but is learning as he goes. Kimberly and Michael’s children Aurora, Peyton, Bailey and Madison all work at the store throughout the week when their busy schedules allow.
One of the first things Kimberly and Michael did was to put in new shelving that they had purchased from a closing K-Mart a few years ago. Obviously Kimberly has had a vision for some time on how to make this already successful business even more successful! When showing the new shelving, Kimberly explained that these deeper shelves along the wall gives them more room for the pop and water, so everything is together and nothing is sitting on the floor. They also added some shelving on the ends of the aisles lengthening the rows and creating more space. Coolers and freezers were replaced allowing them not only more room for meat and produce, but also better displays. The ceiling was raised to give the space a lighter and more open feeling. Most of the plaster walls have been covered with bead board, with plans underway to cover the remaining walls. Kimberly was very excited when they were able to restore a lot of the original bead board from the building to use in the remodel. Decorations throughout the store are original items that Kimberly has found in the upstairs and basement of the store. The original wood floors are gleaming and the ceiling pillars stand proud in testament of the Lewis’ effort to retain as much of the grand history of this building as possible. Kimberly has redone the kitchen area, office and bathroom to make the spaces more “homey” for the family. She comments, “I spend sixty hours or more here most weeks and our kids are here so much it has to be comfortable for us to spend time together here.”
All these changes are impressive by themselves but the fact that the Lewis’ have done these with as little cost as possible makes it that much more incredible! They installed a new scanning system recently thanks to a grant that Michael applied for that helped pay for the system. Michael is researching more grants to help pay for more upgrades, he says it is a learning process and he is getting better as he researches more, but is obviously something he has found an enjoyable challenge. Kimberly showed her bargaining skills when she started shopping for a new scale for packaging. She explained, “the old scale was so outdated we couldn’t get parts for it and it was so off!” Kimberly negotiated with a company into taking a couple of old and unused pieces of equipment in exchange for half off a new scale. Bonus, she did a little house cleaning and the new scale is compliant with the new scanning system. Kimberly has also gotten a new ice freezer from Mid-Central Ice to use free of charge because the store sells so much ice. Probably most exciting is that they have begun work at the front of the store to add a cappuccino machine. The company is offering them use of the machine and free maintenance because Kimberly already orders from them. Along with the machine the company will have a decorative mural for the wall around the machine.
The cosmetic changes are wonderful and the updated coolers and freezers needed but most importantly is that the business offers the community many needed services and products. The store has added a larger selection of items in the past year including chips and frozen pizzas. The produce cooler is full of delicious fresh produce. Kimberly’s baked good are well worth the trip into the store, her fresh baked buns (hot dogs, hamburger and sandwich) and dinner rolls are impossible to resist when you smell that fresh out of the oven scent as you walk through the door. Fresh baked cookies and a variety of breads (banana, french and raisin) taste as good as they smell as well. They also have fresh vacuum packed meat. You can order special occasion cakes, party platters including veggie trays, fruit baskets and pickle and cheese trays. Convenience items include pre–made subs, F’Real (malts) machine and very soon cappuccinos. When listing some of their products Kimberly stated, “we almost double as a convenience store, otherwise people have to leave town for some of this stuff.” Every Tuesday the store has a special on milk.
Along with a full stock of products Kimberly has made sure the small town hospitality and service remains at the core of the business. She offers in town deliveries to the elderly and those feeling under the weather. Unlike those large box stores, they offer carryout to your car when you leave Ellsworth Food Center. As Kimberly, Michael and their family continue to bring their visions to life at the Ellsworth Food Center, it remains at its roots a family business whose goal is to serve the Ellsworth community in the best way they can.
