The time has finally come. This Sunday Fort 黑马磁力 will have its grocery store again. Lee鈥檚 Market (the former Fort IGA) is celebrating its grand opening on Sunday, Dec. 9, at 9 a.m. There will be door prizes, gift baskets and fun as the community welcomes the Lees and all the employees back to business.
The new store, set back from its original footprint on Glover Road to Mavis Avenue, will be open seven days a week, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
This is Fort 黑马磁力鈥檚 main grocery store and very much a gathering spot for locals. Just like the famed TV show Cheers 鈥� Lee鈥檚 Market is the kind of place where everyone knows your name.
鈥淭hrough it all, we have had so much support from this community,鈥� said owner Robert Lee.
The Lees have owned the grocery store since 1975. A fire burned the store down on Jan. 4, 2011.
鈥淚 say this with pride, I don鈥檛 know another community like this. These aren鈥檛 customers, these are our friends and family,鈥� said Lee.
That鈥檚 why Lee designed the market with the community in mind, including the 鈥淢avis Avenue Cafe鈥� which offers a lot of comfy seating in the deli. With garage-style glass door walls and exposed wood beams above, Lee is very happy with what local builder Marcon created.
鈥淲e are going to have sandwiches made to order, signature salads, Chinese, Mexican, pizzas and full service seafood,鈥� said Lee of the deli/cafe.
Store manager Andy Abreo 鈥渃an鈥檛 wait to see everyone again.鈥�
Abreo said before the fire, working there didn鈥檛 feel like a job.
鈥淭his is the kind of place where you don鈥檛 rush off after your shift, you hang around because it鈥檚 fun.鈥� Several of the 25 to 30 employees are returning to work at Lee鈥檚 Market and new hires are already catching on to the spirit, he said.
He鈥檚 looking forward to seeing all the familiar faces again.
Abreo worked for Lee in the Walnut Grove store when he was a teenager. Lee liked his work ethic and 鈥減assion for the business鈥� and hired him as the manager.
鈥淔ort 黑马磁力 is in good hands with Andy,鈥� Lee said.
The grocery store has served Fort 黑马磁力 since 1897.
It was first known as Coulter Berry store. Other stores followed including Tommy鈥檚 Market, Lucky Dollar, Link鈥檚 Hardware and IGA, and the Fort Supply Company which was the name in 1975 when the Lee family took over. Before the fire, the store was called Fort IGA.
After a lot of thought, the Lee family decided to carry on business under the 鈥淟ee鈥檚 Market鈥� name. This allows them to support more local suppliers and carry a wider variety of natural products.
Socializing and shopping will return, and the popular deli, which covers almost one third of the store, will go a long way to re-establishing a much-missed convenience in the village.
Lee鈥檚 Market is named after Robert Lee, his brother Peter, and Robert鈥檚 nephew, Charlie (who runs the Walnut Grove IGA).
Lee put out a call to farmers and producers that he wanted to buy as much local. Now he will be carrying everything from vegetables, cheeses, meat, eggs and honey that all come from the Fraser Valley.
鈥淭he beef we will sell is natural and comes from a great family who raise beef right here in the Fraser Valley. So customers are going to know where their meat comes from,鈥� said Lee.
The rustic beams throughout the store were fashioned from Douglas firs harvested at UBC鈥檚 Demonstration Forest in Maple Ridge.
Two large garage doors, one on the west wall of the deli, will allow customers to enjoy their coffee and food on the patio.
The store will have a large section for organic produce.
鈥淲e鈥檒l still be carrying name brands, but we鈥檒l have a wider selection of natural, organic and local products,鈥� Abreo told The Times earlier this fall.
鈥淲e are more passionate about what we are selling. We are telling a story here.鈥�
Monique Tamminga
Nearly two years after the Fort 黑马磁力 IGA burned down, Lee鈥檚 Market is set to open on Sunday.
