It has been 50 years since Hendrik and Fred Meijer opened "Thrifty Acres" in Grand Rapids, marking the birth of the first supercenter nationwide and an innovative concept that would springboard into a retail phenomenon. The Grand Rapids, MI-based retailer will celebrate that historical event that occurred on June 6, 1962.
It was the middle of the Great Depression and groceries were scarce. In 1934, a modest local barber in Greenville, Michigan had a need and saw an opportunity. In an effort to take care of the customers who visited his barbershop, Hendrik Meijer purchased $328.76 worth of merchandise on credit. Together with his 14-year-old son, Fred, they opened North Side Grocery.
Meijer continued to look for innovative opportunities and ways provide higher levels of service to his customers. He renamed his store Meijer’s Grocery and began broadening his business through the use of newspaper ads and fancy metal shopping carts. As World War II raged, Hendrik pledged his company’s support to the war effort, and just like the Arsenal of Democracy, women became a key part of the Meijer workforce, numbering nearly half of all team members.
After the war, growth at Meijer began in earnest. The company acquired an office in Greenville and opened its first store in Grand Rapids, the second largest city in Michigan. As Meijer’s customer base grew, the company asked its customers to help choose a name for a new symbol. Through a local contest, a customer suggested the name “Thrifty” for the Meijer little Dutch Boy mascot, who became the company’s symbol for the next thirty years.
With the start of the baby boom and advancements in technology, Meijer found new ways to help its customers. With the introduction of the automatic conveyor belt, Meijer was one of the first grocers in the region to help customers speed down the checkout lane. And when television took over in the 1950s, Meijer soon followed, advertising on the popular Romper Room show.