Russell’s Food Center describes itself as a small family-run business that “continues to thrive in downtown Arnaudville, Louisiana, the heart of Acadiana.”
The store, which is celebrating its 90th anniversary in September, is owned and operated by the fourth- and fifth-generation descendants of George and Nora Coles, who acquired what was then a dry goods store for $3,600 in the heart of the Great Depression.
The Shelby Report of the Southeast visited this summer with CEO Melanie Robin and her daughter, Magen Olivier Turner, who will succeed her when she retires. The women are quick to credit Arnaudville and the surrounding area for the store’s success.
“It’s really important to stay in our hometown … for us to remain here and continue to help the people that we grew up with,” Turner said. “The whole town is like family.”
Her mother agreed.
“We know everyone who comes into the store on a daily basis,” Robin said. “They live here. We get to know them, and they become family. And I think it’s important to just keep up that communication.
“What defines us, separates us from the big boxes, is that we can listen to every person who comes in. We can fill their needs. We don’t have to wait for somebody to OK that [request] at the main corporate office.
“We can change things as we go along during the day, and it’s important to do that and just to fill the needs of the community, to accommodate everybody that walks in. It’s like a big family.”
Through the years
Russell’s website notes that Arnaudville is “known by the locals as ‘La Jonction,’ implying the confluence of Bayou Teche and Bayou Fuselier in the very center of a once-thriving community built on cotton, sugar cane and sweet potatoes.
“The result is a town center served by two bridges providing a quick glimpse of a miniature island of sediment, the result of a Civil War shipwreck, built up in the center of the crosscurrents converging from both tributaries.”
In 1950, the Coles’ son and daughter-in-law, Joseph “J.R.” and Genevieve Coles, bought the store and renamed it J.R. Coles Grocery. The building was remodeled, enlarged and served the community for the next 28 years.
In 1978, J.R. retired and sold the grocery to his oldest daughter, Cynthia Robin, and her husband Russell, both of whom had worked there for years.
With their children – Kevin, Melanie, George and Francis – beside them, they continued to expand the business. The old wooden structure was replaced with a larger, more modern building and off-street parking.
In addition, Russell Robin incorporated the old Cajun-French boucherie-style of meat cutting, seasoning and marinating into the family business. That change is credited with stirring the continued growth of the market, renamed Russell’s, and now known for its boudin, meat grinds, chicken burgers and turkey rolls.
After his death in 1987, Melanie Robin became CEO of the company and guided it into the 21st century. In so doing, she is credited with helping pioneer a new era of women’s equality and professionalism in the Louisiana grocery industry.
Around 2008, Francis Robin joined his sister in the daily operations of the business, followed three years later by their older brother, Kevin, who has taken on Russell’s Catering Services. He also opened The Little Big Cup and the Bayou Warehouse at The Little Big Cup to serve the community’s restaurant needs.
Turner noted that several cousins also work in the business, including Sophie (office manager), Chris (chef) and Lynette (cake decorator), among others.
Looking ahead
Russell’s, which has been a member of Associated Grocers Inc. of Baton Rouge for 35 years, has built a reputation for its hot bar, prepared foods and grab-and-go meals.
“People always come back and say, ‘That was such a good lunch! I just had to come back and get another one,’” Turner said.
“There are so many people that come in here every day just to get a plate lunch because they don’t cook at home. They live by themselves, so we feed them. We’re not just here for their grocery needs; we also feed a lot of people.”
Her mother added that it’s not uncommon for local businesses to order lunch for 10-12 people. Russell’s also offers catering – party trays and baskets, as well as its signature dishes – for events and family gatherings.
Asked her plans for the business moving forward, Turner mentioned the “continuation of our presence here and also keeping up with the times … changing with the technology” and evolving food preferences.
“Everybody’s asking for healthier options, gluten free, specific diets that people need to [stay] healthy,” she said. “So, I hope that we can focus on that and just be able to offer a wide variety.”
While the family has chosen to hold off on installing self-checkout lanes for now, Russell’s is one of the few stores in the region – let alone its size – to have solar panels. The family had them installed on the store’s roof a few years ago.
Melanie Robin credited Associated Grocers for connecting Russell’s with NextEnergy Group for the project. “The incentives [for installing the panels] were so great,” she said. “We packaged them with some of the energy-efficient coolers we had put in.”
Whether through technology, fresh produce or its freshly prepared regional meals and local favorites, Russell’s aims to serve the Arnaudville area for decades to come. As the store’s website states, “The family continues to focus on customer service and the desire to keep the friendly neighborhood feeling. It is not uncommon to walk in the store and hear people greeted by name and see and hear neighbors visiting down the aisles, some still speaking in their native Cajun French.”