Bep's
Country Market anchors more than Newton's commercial
center - it's Becky Griffin's heart
By Chris Johnsen
April 28, 2005
| NEWTON -- Becky Griffin likes people
and satisfies her liking for people as a country store
owner. "I call myself the store; I'm always laughing
at bartenders, I probably know as much as bartenders
do, it tells me that people trust me," said Griffin,
owner of Bep's Country Market.
Pennsylvania-born, 12 kids -- four of which help out
in the store, nicknamed Bep for unknown reasons -- Griffin
works hard, "certainly not to get rich. I always
wanted to own my own business and I enjoy the people.
You are giving a service to other people knowing that
there is something here for them and knowing you're
a part of that," said Griffin.
Griffin's store
is a large white, red-trimmed building including spacious
inside and worn dark wood floors. A product of the Mormon
Co-op era, the store has had many owners, causing it
to change locations. Part of the original store was
moved on skids to Bep's present location.
Becky and her
husband Cleon have owned the store for four years.
In the southwest corner of the store a once upon a time
meat locker serves as storage. Behind the meat locker,
a café has been converted to a game room with
pool table and air hockey. Mismatched shelves hold a
wide variety of goods: videos, light bulbs, kitty-litter,
hot sauce, cheese curds, motor-oil, Cheetos and Coke.
A fish tank sits just inside the door.
"If the fish were gone I wouldn't ever come in,"
said Derek Bartlett with a smile, a regular customer
of Bep's. Local townsfolk are the majority of Griffin's
customers and she has a smile for all of them.
"Always smile and be happy and say hello no matter
what. You alwayshave to realize you're going to run
into someone you can't please butyou have to remember
the customer is always right, even if you want to argue
with them." said Griffin.
Griffin's motto
is no easy task as her and her husband both average
17 hours a day six days a week. "Even though you
quit at eight you're not done." said Griffin.
Balancing the
books, stocking the shelves, figuring orders, and cleaning
the store still waits after business hours, said Griffin.
Local kids handle extra work, Griffin pays the kids
by logging their hours and letting them trade work time
for store goods. She would like to hire additional help
but, seeking help through paid employees is too costly.
Besides wages, employers pay additional taxes, "I
haven't been able to hire someone for a long time,"
said Griffin.
Griffin said responsibility to the community is also
important. When kids are caught shoplifting, it's better
for kids to return the item and apologize for taking
it, rather than the parents paying for it. That way
kids learn not to shoplift versus being rewarded by
it, said Griffin.
As for those who think of owning their own store, Griffin
said, "Yes it's scary, do it when you're younger,
I was 48. I knew if I were younger I could have done
a lot more because of better health. I would have asked
more questions of other business owners. I didn't think
of where to purchase supplies or how it was going to
run."
NW
JLC |
