Last updated on June 14th, 2024
It’s a milestone year for Mike’s Jack & Jill, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary serving the small town of Webster, South Dakota.
Mike Grosek said his store serves a town of about 1,800 people in a county of some 5,500 residents. It’s situated in a large hunting and fishing area with many lakes.
A native and lifelong Webster resident, Grosek has been the owner the entire time. He started working in the previous version of the grocery store, under different ownership, as a junior in high school.
“When I was 21 years old, he was wanting to sell out, so I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time. We were in a small, [estimated] 6,000-square-foot store uptown on Main Street,” Grosek said.
He built a new location in 1989. After a few expansions, it totals 14,000 square feet.
“It’s amazing that it’s been that many years…they go by so fast,” he said. “But there’s been a lot of changes within that time period, but it’s been fun…being in a small town and it’s kind of the hub. You meet a lot of people. You’re friends with many and you know everybody, so it’s kind of like a big family.
“And over the years I’ve had awesome employees. My managers basically have been with me, some…since the day I started. Others have been there for 40 some years. We see a lot of the same faces, employee wise, which is good.”
During the summertime, the store is known for being a community hub, hosting Friday cookouts with grilled food.
“It’s good for some of the elderly people especially. They come down and it’s kind of their social outing of the week…they sit and talk with others, meet others,” said Grosek, who also has been mayor of Webster for 37 years.
Once a month in the summertime, the store also holds a “rib fest” where it averages about 400 racks of ribs a day.
Overall, business has been good for Mike’s Jack & Jill, although there are some supply chain hurdles he continues to face.
“Unfortunately, there’s a number of items across the board that we have a hard time obtaining. And some we’ve been waiting for a long time to get better. That’s just the way it is,” he said. “There’s a number of price increases, of course, across the board, especially with meat products.”
He mentioned the store is offering more curbside pickup and deliveries due to the pandemic. Customers can call in go online, email or text.
For more information, visit mikesfoodctr.com.
