SHERBURNE – A long time staple of the downtown Sherburne community, Skip's Market, is in the process of renovations under the direction, and hard work, of owners Jack and Melisa Richardson.
The Richardsons took over ownership of Skip's back in November of 2013 and have been steadily working on the grocery store since. The couple worked with the previous owners of the store from July of 2013 until they officially purchased it in August in order to make the transition between owners as smooth as possible. “I was lucky enough to inherit an incredible existing staff,” said owner, Jack Richardson, “they have really been great and have been a big part in making the transition a lot easier.” The people in the community, as well, have been very welcoming of the Richardsons and their efforts.
Jack said that they have done extensive work on the floors and the parking lot in the past year. “The store has been open all along,” said Jack, “we have been doing the renovations at night, and ourselves – it's been a project, to say the least.” They have added some seating for deli customers to sit and enjoy their freshly made sub or sandwich, and they plan on focusing their improvement efforts on the outside of the store this coming spring. The outside of the building, according to Jack, is in need of some cleaning, some paint, and some windows and wood really need to be replaced. “The store needs a fresh face,” said Jack, “We are focused on maintaining the quality, but we want to put a new look on it.”
One of the ideas that the couple has for the grocery in the near future is to add some hot meals for patrons to enjoy in what Melisa Richardson refers to as the “Tiki Hut,” their Caribbean themed dining area. In the next month or so, the Richardsons plan on adding a breakfast nook to the “Tiki Hut” and providing hot soups, salads, and a variety of breakfast foods. “All of these menu items, said Jack, will not be re-heated frozen dishes but will be made fresh from in-store ingredients.
“Most of our deli traffic is people on their lunch break from work,” said Richardson, “and we would like to provide something hot for them.” Especially in the upcoming winter months when warmth and shelter are of greater importance.
One of the highlights of their breakfast selections will be the store-made breakfast sausage that “is kind of famous around here,” said Jack. When the Richardsons bought the business, they also acquired the recipe for breakfast sausage, which Jack said “I am pretty sure predated Skip.”
Skip's Market, according to Jack, was originally started by the Saber family and remained in that family for two generations. “Skip” bought the grocery store in the early eighties. “We are going to try to make it last for the next 30 years,” said Jack, “just like it has for the previous 67 years.”
Jack brings his experience in restaurant management to Skip's Market. “A lot of those restaurant mentalities I tried to bring here,” said Jack, “especially keeping the market as clean and safe as possible.”
Along with basic grocery store items, snacks, beverages, and fresh produce, one of the highlights of the market is the meat section. Skip's boasts a large meat case that is loaded with freshly cut steaks, ground beef, select cuts of pork, chicken, and more. Furthermore, many of the prices of Skip's meat selection are substantially lower than any of the major grocery retailers in the area. Jack says that this is possible by keeping his overhead in the butcher department low by doing most of the meat cutting himself. On Christmas Eve, the meat department at Skip's was doing all it could to keep the display cases full for the non-stop flow of customers that passed through. Theresa Gates and Bev Brennan, longtime employees of Skip's Market, said, “the meat is awesome and we have people come all the way from Deposit to buy our meat.”
The Richardsons are working hard to improve Skip's Market while keeping the small town grocer feel. “We want to make it look how we feel,” said Jack,” we have a lot of pride and we want to make the place look like we have that pride.”
Skip's Market is open seven days a week. Monday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-8 p.m.; and Sundays 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Skip's is located at its longtime home of 116 N. Main St. in Sherburne, where the Richardsons plan on keeping it for a long time.