Warehouse Grocery notes second year in Underwood
By Brenda L. Shelkey
Underwood is breathing a collective sigh of relief. They have grown to depend on the services provided by Underwood Warehouse Grocery. But the feeling is mutual. The owners, Gary and Kim Adam, have grown to appreciate the support provided by the community of Underwood as they celebrated their second anniversary in July. Underwood knows only too well how difficult it is to be without a grocery store. "Fortunately, they are supporting us," said Adam. "Because of their support, we are exceeding what our business plan was when we started." Of course, they knew that there would be some complications and difficulties in the process. "We anticipated some repairs, and we did have those," said Adam. "Expenses the first couple of years are there because of cost of replacement and repair. We’ve had to do some upgrading. But we were prepared for that." They have plans to replace or recondition some of the cases in the store. In some instances they will have to buy equipment, in others, they will be able to buy reconditioned equipment, which is much like buying new. In addition to equipment changes, the couple has continued to improve the bakery and meat department of the store. They have sold between 7,000 and 8,000 broasted chickens since they added that service for customers. "We have been doing more smoking of meats," said Adam, "doing our own sausage, head cheese, liver sausage, jerky and pepper sticks." They make every effort to keep the store well stocked with items that people want, sometimes by special request.
