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ASCENDANT INDEPENDENT
Roy Pope Grocery
Local produce key for Fort Worth neighborhood specialty grocer. BY DOUG OHLEMEIER
Fresh and local produce are central ingredi- ents in the success of Roy Pope Grocery. The longtime “mom and pop” specialty grocer is a place where ‘everyone knows
your name.’ The local favorite has been offering its Fort Worth, TX, customers specialty prod- ucts for more than 75 years in the same location. Roy Pope is one of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex’s oldest family-owned operations.
“We are on the leading edge of specialty, higher-quality groceries in Fort Worth, if not the region,” says Robert Vega, store manager. When many of the store’s customers encounter new foods overseas, they request them when they return. In addition to the fine wines, cheeses, olive oils, pastas and other items not commonly found at many conventional grocery stores, Roy Pope sells regular items and high- er-end products, including hydroponic Bibb lettuce and hothouse tomatoes.
While not always offering the biggest selection, the store aims to provide the highest quality products,says Vega.“We can’t compete with those other stores on variety or pricing,” he says.“We have always survived on customer service, our No. 1 thing and what we preach to everyonewhoworkshere.Wemustmakesure we listen to our customers and stay on top of our needs.That’s what gives us an advantage.”
Being in the store and in front of its customers every day provides Roy Pope a personal presence. “It’s knowing 90 percent of our customers’ names when they walk through the door, another thing our competitors can’t do,” says Vega. The store promotes itself as Fort Worth’s finest home-owned and operated gourmet grocery and deli.
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Located in the West Beyer neighborhood in the historic Camp Bowie District on the city’s west side, Roy Pope serves an upscale shopping demographic. In the past, the store’s customers were wealthy shoppers older than 50. However, that demographic is changing. With new housing construction, more younger people are shopping, which is lowering the customers’ median age.
Changing Store Demographics
“These upper-income Millennials are a hard demographic to get ahold of,”says Vega.“It used to be years ago, our customers would do all their shopping here. Millennials are happy to go to five different stores to get one meal together. In the past, you could do your weekly shopping here and go on with the rest of your week. Today, Millennials like to shop daily for their needs.”
The store’s nearest competitor, an H-E-B Central Market, is a mile away. Although the stores offer similar products, each may price some items a little higher than the other store. “Many people call us a small Central Market. We have always called them a big Roy Pope,” laughs Vega. Roy Pope has always marketed the store to be a convenience shopping experience. “The biggest thing our customers tell us is they can be in and out of here within five minutes,” hesays.“Wecangetpeopleinandoutasquickly as possible. It may take them 15 minutes to find a parking spot over there.”
In 1943, Roy and Rose Pope founded the store, a small operation that shared quar- ters with a laundromat, a shoe repair shop and a dry cleaner. In 1947, John LeMond began working in Roy Pope’s produce and
ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROY POPE GROCERY
grocery departments. After Pope died in 1967, LeMond and his wife, Ruth, purchased the store and owned it until John ’s 1990 retirement. Bob Larance, who worked as store manager starting in 1975, and his wife, Renee, bought LeMond’s interest and have owned and managed the store since.
In 1970, a fire destroyed the store, which wasn’t fully insured.The store manager for Fort Worth’s Nieman Marcus provided Roy Pope Grocery space, and others in the community helped it operate while a new store was being constructed.
In1992,Vegabeganworkingasasackerand stocker while in high school and throughout college. Within three years, he became assistant grocery manager and in another three years was advanced to store manager.
Hands-On Philosophy
The produce department consists of less than 15 percent of the store’s 6,000 square feet, which includes the stock room, but it features 300 SKUs. Several times a week, Vega visits the Dallas Farmers Market at 3:30 a.m. As he’s a regular customer, wholesalers allow Vega to go inside the coolers and pick the best quality and newest cartons of produce.
“Produce is very important to us and is an important part of our store, which is why we stay so hands-on,” he says. “The best example we have of that is the owner and I have a hand in it every day. Our produce is hand-selected, an advantage that we use to the fullest.”
It would be easy to hire people and let them run the produce section, but Vega and Larance want to operate the department with a higher