Keeping customers coming back

Kootenay Market is an independent grocery store that offers a friendly, local supermarket alternative in Castlegar

Dan Rye has enjoyed his 15 years with Kootenay Market. — Photo courtesy Dan Rye

The days of visiting our local butcher, baker and greengrocer to fill our pantries are long gone. For most of us, picking up groceries now means a visit to a big-brand store that offers all the food groups, and then some, under one roof. In Castlegar, however, residents have a middle-ground option. The Kootenay Market is a local grocery store that carries traditional products as well as many that are organic and/or sourced from the Kootenays.

“People are becoming more and more alert to local—we have a lot of people come in and say that they love the fact that we deal so much with local people,” said manager Dan Rye. “I think that makes us a little bit different from the big-box stores and we can attract a little bit of different clientele . . . I think we just have a little bit of a niche that some of the other stores don’t have. We have more the down-home, friendly type attitude.”

Rye believes that you can only gain from being a part of a community if you first contribute to it, a philosophy he extends to managing the business. Kootenay Market hires many students, offering them job experience and an encouraging atmosphere. The store has a number of regulars, people who enjoy a visit to their local supermarket. The business prides itself on good service and is the winner of this year’s Business Excellence Award from the Castlegar & District Chamber of Commerce.

There have been challenges, but Rye has enjoyed his 15 years with the business. As an independent business, Kootenay Market doesn’t have the advantage of the national advertising of bigger chain grocery stores. It’s also seen an increase in competition from businesses, such as drugstores, that have begun to carry fresh foodstuffs. Still, Kootenay Market has thrived and Rye looks forward to continuing to serve the people of Castlegar.

“I think we’re always looking to expand a little bit on our natural and organics,” he said. “We try to bring in what the customers are asking us for . . . It’s an evolving market—you do the best you can and hope that your customers keep coming back.”