The Leuenberger family has been a staple in the food market industry of small-town Graceville for decades. George Leuenberger opened his family’s grocery store in Graceville, a Super Foods, on Thursday, July 19,1984. Today, the store now known as Piggly Wiggly is owned by George’s son Tommy and managed by his other son, Charlie. The family is celebrating 40 years of food market service to the Graceville residents and also announcing a large expansion that will bring new products and new services to the customers.

Tommy and Charlie Leuenberger’s father, George, first moved the family to Graceville from Marianna in 1962 where he would work as the manager of the town’s local Piggly Wiggly. In 1965, George took a position with a larger food market in Georgia taking his family with him. Graceville stayed with the family though and in 1975 George and his family returned to the area. He became a managing partner of Graceville’s local IGA. Tommy and Charlie also began working and helping out around the store after school and on weekends. A couple of years later George took an opportunity to own a Super Foods Supermarket in Enterprise, Alabama. Taking the chance, George packed up his family and moved to Alabama. The store quickly became a family affair with Tommy and Charlie’s mother, Mary as the store’s office manager and Tommy and Charlie managing various departments. The chance paid off for George, when the store became one of the largest “Mom and Pop” operations in the United States with over 60 employees.

In 1984 George decided to bring his luck back to Graceville and on Thursday, July 19, 1984, surrounded by family and friends, Super Foods officially opened at 9 a.m. with a ribbon cutting. The store was a family-owned and operated business from the start with Tommy managing the store’s meat market and Charlie taking the position of store manager. The opening was a large event with the first 100 customers receiving free groceries and the gospel group known as the Jubilee singers from Fadette, Alabama performing in the store’s parking lot on Saturday, July 21.

The store has changed names several times throughout the years but has always stayed a family-owned and operated market for 40 years. The name was later changed to IGA and in 1996 George sold the store to son, Tommy, who is the current owner today. In August 2000, the store was renamed Leuenberger’s Supermarket before finally becoming Leuenberger’s Piggly Wiggly in 2004.

The store has changed several times with renovations and upgrades. The store added 6000 square feet in 2015, moving the deli out of the small space in the rear of the store, to a new and updated deli with six times more space, with their own

walk-in coolers, new equipment, and cases. The move proved to be a good one, as even today, the deli attracts local folks as well as passers through town for delicious deli meals, smoked BBQ, and homemade baked goods. More frozen food and dairy space was added, as well as more meat cases and expanded gondola shelving space.

The years have brought many challenges with Hurricane Michael in 2018, Covid in 2020, and the post-Covid economy. The Leuenberger’s said, “inflation has been tough to deal with because a lot of our customers can’t afford some of these prices, but we are doing everything we can do to keep our prices as low as possible.” The family added, “We appreciate every single customer we have, and realize without them, we couldn’t keep the doors open.” The family finished giving thanks to God stating that He gets all the glory for the memories created and the future He has made possible for the local grocery store.

The Leuenberger family has been celebrating the store’s 40 years of business since last Saturday with customers enjoying free hotdogs and a celebration cake on Sunday. Saturday, August 17 the store also held several giveaway drawings.

PHOTO CUTLINES:

1 - The family celebrated 40 years of service with a cake on Sunday, August 11. Pictured from left, Kim Watford, Charlie Leuenberger, Joel Leuenberger, George Leuenberger, Tommy Leuenberger, and Stephanie Leuenberger.

2 - In this 1984 picture from the store’s grand opening flyer, (from left) George Leuenberger stands with sons Tommy and Charlie.

3 - The store was originally called Super Foods, the photo shows the store in its beginning days in July of 1984.

4 - The Leuenbergers' work to put up a sign on the day of the store’s grand opening.

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