Being an independent small-business owner in any unincorporated area or small town is a huge business undertaking.

We, the residents of Kingston, have been privileged to have Thriftway/IGA and Rick Bjarnson play a sizable supporting role in most community fundraisers. My family has had first-hand experience in working with Rick and the 4th of July’s Tiny Town Event. For the first 15 years we were involved, the Kingston Thriftway donated and supported the Tiny Town board in its efforts to put on a first-class children’s fair.

The big box stores and corporate-owned retail outlets enjoy competing intensely with local stores. I have been told of the grocery consolidation in the western United States. A chain store in our local market has 13 linked stores in operation. A small business like our local grocer has taken a high risk to serve us for all these years.

Steve, the store manager at Kingston IGA, and his crew have the store looking sharp, clean, neatly stocked with fresh produce, and milk and perishables, providing fast, friendly, courteous checkout and customer assistance.

The Kingston store with its excellent staff provided “ship’s stores” for our commercial fishing boats that harvest in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea. The provisions for 60 fishers for up to 30 days at sea made for a lot of extra work for the owner and staff of the Kingston Thriftway. This service was provided at a lower expense than the large outfitting stores in the big city.

My hope is that the new owners, the Stolz boys, are as business friendly and community conscious as Rick Bjarnson has been all of these years. My thanks to Rick, Steve and crew for providing an exceptional retail grocery outlet in Kingston.

John Bruce

Kingston