An enthusiastic crowd turned out June 3, to celebrate the official ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Westport Shop ‘n Kart supermarket at 108 S. Montesano St. in uptown Westport.
Business owners Darris and Shirley McDaniel’s great granddaughter, Lilly Russo, 5, snipped the ribbon that makes the new market’s welcome presence ‘official.’ A large group of family members — many of them active in McDaniel grocery businesses — as well as the local store’s management team, joined her for a commemorative photo.
McDaniel and his wife Shirley purchased the former Red Apple Market property at a Grays Harbor County foreclosure auction on Jan. 16. The former store officially went out of business through foreclosure in early June of last year, after months of languishing with near empty shelves for several months, despite two attempts at restocks that were soon depleted.
Local merchants stepped up to the plate to fill the local void with increased grocery-related stock at their businesses, with many South Beachers resorting to shopping for groceries in supermarkets in Aberdeen and/or Raymond, as well.
Bringing his 44 years experience in grocery retailing and specifically in 31 new store startups, the day after the property sale closed, McDaniel and his hardworking core management team labored literally non-stop 24/7 for three weeks to prepare for the store’s opening.
Crews refurbished the interior, repaired and replaced mechanicals and then stocked the supermarket to overflowing with an abundance and wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, beverages and packaged dry goods.
On Feb. 6, the newest Shop ‘n Kart opened its doors for business and according to McDaniel, the response has been nothing less than spectacular. Gearing up for the summer season, supermarket hours recently expanded to 3 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
The McDaniels moved to Washington in 1972 with the purchase of Kelly’s Market in Longview. They have had businesses in Lewis County since 1976, including their current stores, Shop ‘n Kart/Yardbirds Mall in Chehalis, bought in 1990 and Fuller’s Market Basket in Centralia, purchased in 2011.