Local grocery store changes hands

Ken Johnston
Editor

For the first time in 35 years there is a new person running Rainy River’s oldest grocery store.
Susan Carpenter officially took over Aikenhead’s Grocery Store May 1st and last week she held the grand opening for Susan’s Corner Store, at 302 4th Street.
Carpenter who was born and raised in the Rainy River area had worked for Aikenhead’s on and off for about 15 years. She never imagined that she would one day take over the store, but is now really enthused about the venture.
She said that Murray Aikenhead told her he was thinking of selling the store last fall. At the time the idea of buying it was one that needed careful consideration. Talking it over with her children, Peter and Laine, and Randi Suzanne, she decided to take the plunge.
Things have been pretty overwhelming for her since May 1st with a tremendous influx of customer support. That and now having all the responsibilities that come with owning a business, she has found herself very busy, but she likes that.
Her past experience with Aikenhead’s has been a real asset noting that she was responsible for stocking shelves and knowing what to order for the past several months while Murray’s mother Norma was off work for medical reasons.
As for changes to the business she has been busy sprucing the store up and has plans to install some new flooring and has a new sign on order for the front of the building. She has also elected to purchase a vast amount of her meat from Sunset Ridge Meat Processors in Emo. She makes at least two or three trips a week to pick up new stock. She said that the meat is top quality and that she has had Sunset vacuum pack a lot of it to ensure it stays fresh.
She is also working very hard to maintain fresh and good looking produce. In fact response to that has been really good, noting that she has been fighting to keep up with demand.
Her milk and egg prices are very reasonable, something she plans to maintain. Combined she hopes that a good meat counter, fresh produce and reasonable dairy prices will show her customers that quality matters to her and her staff. “I know what I like and I won’t sell anything to customers that I wouldn’t like myself,” said Susan.
She has opted to remain an independent grocery store rather than sign up with a franchise. That way she has greater flexibility on what she can order and is not dictated as to what must be on sale from week to week. While she has maintained her independence she did note that she is using Macdonald Consolidated for a vast majority of her stock. They are the same company that supply Safeway stores. That means she has a lot of Safeway’s no name brands on her shelves, products that many consumers already know and trust.
Some customers have made requests for products that the store had not carried before and she has done her best to get them for them. She encourages people to offer suggestions for products and to ask questions if they do not see something on the shelf. For instance she does not always put all her meat out of the big walk in cooler in order to keep it as fresh as possible. “Just ask. I likely have it in the back,” said Susan. She is cutting ribeyes on request and usually keeps that loin of beef in the back.
Susan noted that there have been many people in to shop that have not frequented the store before or for many years. They include a growing number of US customers who are taking advantage of their strong US dollar and the competitive prices she offers.
For her Canadian customers she has added the convenience of a debit card machine, something that many customers appreciate in this more and more paperless society.
Susan has a full time staff of two. Sandy Campbell, another long time employee of Aikenhead’s and her daughter-in-law Laine Carpenter help her throughout the week. Her daughter Randi Suzanne Carpenter works with her on Saturdays. Susan said that they have been a tremendous asset as has the Aikenhead’s who are always available to help with any problems she has had.
Susan is very encouraged about the support she has received so far and encourages the public to come in and check it out as it continues to evolve in the weeks and months to come. She is very grateful for the long time customers who have remained loyal to the business over the years and are now showing that same courtesy to her.
Things that have stayed with the business from the former owners are store hours six days a week from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and they are still delivering groceries to local addresses on a daily basis. She will also be running weekly specials as was done in the past.