Last Man Standing: Smillie's is last IGA member in Springfield

Now in his 15th year operating Smillie’s IGA on South Glenstone, Smillie has watched his independent grocer colleagues slowly sell off their properties.

After the Feb. 2 purchase of Dave’s IGA by Springfield-based RPCS Inc., parent company of Price Cutter supermarkets, Smillie’s is the last Springfield member of IGA, the Independent Grocers Alliance. Springfield had three IGA stores at its peak; Turner’s IGA sold to Price Cutter in 2003. In nearby Lebanon, Danny’s IGA is now a Smitty’s store, purchased by RPCS in 2004.

“It’s sad to see another independent grocer go out of business or close,” Smillie said, noting that “there are a few independents left.”

The trend of IGA stores closing is not limited to Springfield; association membership is currently at about 4,000 – down nearly 10 percent from 2002, according to information from www.iga.com.

RPCS growth

The Dave’s and Turner’s IGA acquisitions are a facet of expansion plans for RPCS, which now has 34 locations in four states. According to Planning and Development Director Rob Marsh, even though Dave’s owner Dave Wingerter approached Price Cutter about purchasing his store, the northwest location, 2525 W. College St., fit well with the company’s plans.

“I get consistent calls saying, ‘Boy, we need a Price Cutter in that part of town,’” Marsh said, adding that the company also is negotiating for land farther to the northwest to build another store.

Other independent grocers, meanwhile, have gone by the wayside, most notably Consumers Supermarkets. That company, started in 1948 by Clarence Wheeler, grew to 38 stores in four states before it was purchased in 1990 by Fleming Wholesale Foods and slowly died out. The last Consumers closed in 1999.

Locally owned

While Smillie is holding onto his IGA membership, his store is by no means the last locally owned grocery.

Summer Fresh, Harter House, Woods and Country Mart are all local grocery chains with less than 10 locations.

Brent Brown, Summer Fresh director of operations, said such stores are becoming rare, and he points to several factors – one of which is the effect of the Wal-Mart Supercenter.

“There are fewer and fewer regional type chains, at least here in our area,” Brown said. “You see a lot of the smaller retailers – one- or two-store operations, similar to the IGA stores – that are either selling or closing.”

Even Smillie has considered getting out of the business in the past, though the right opportunity hasn’t yet presented itself.

“We’re glad we’re here,” he said. “But if you walked in the door and asked me how much, and I told you, and you wrote me a check, you’d have the keys in your hand so fast.”

A crowded market

Saturation is another obstacle for area grocers. Summer Fresh’s Brown said that there are a growing number of other types of stores offering grocery items. He pointed to stores such as Target and Walgreens that have added dry goods and nonfood items.

So how does a small independent grocery store or chain compete in such a crowded market?

Smillie has used convenience and a neighborhood atmosphere to keep customers loyal despite slightly higher prices. 

“You can buy groceries anywhere in town, but you probably shop where you do because of convenience, service and the ability to get in and get out (quickly),” he said.

And if locally owned independents go under, leaving only the megaretailers to provide grocery service, Smillie says watch out.

“If small businesses don’t stick together, the Wal-Marts and Home Depots will take us over,” he said. “And if you think the prices are high now, just wait.”

A Long History

Bill Smillie has a lot of experience in the Springfield grocery market.

He started as a carryout for Consumers Market on South Glenstone, the store that would become Smillie’s IGA, in 1964. He met his wife at the store in 1967 and they were married a year later. He worked “off and on” for Consumers for 22 years before the company began selling some of its stores in 1992.

“I asked and they agreed to sell me the store I started at in 1964,” Smillie said. The sale was finalized Nov. 28 of that year, and Smillie’s has been independently operating ever since.

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