In Seal Cove, this grocery store is staying true to the past while looking to the future
New owners keeping Seal Cove Grocery a community hub
The door to Seal Cove Grocery is never closed.
On nice days it's wide open, welcoming neighbouring families picking up a carton of milk, kids on bikes scoring some of Wes's famous fresh-popped corn, or workers on lunch grabbing one of the sub sandwiches the store has become known for.
On not-so-nice days it's in constant motion, swinging with a whoosh and a hello from the owners, Thomas and Kristen Dwyer.
The pair, along with silent business partner Chris Reynolds, bought the store just over 18 months ago, and though neither has much experience owning a store (Kristen's background is in child care and Thomas worked in oil and gas), their love for the shop and the community it has created is obvious.
"I'm super-nostalgic for it. When I was young, we used to go to Mae's down in Foxtrap, and it was my favourite thing to do with my dad. I got a Dixie cup every time," she said, referring to the little plastic cups of ice cream you eat with a wooden stick.
"So we have Dixie cups here. It lets me test out my creative side, I love to cook," Kristen told me when I went to visit the store.
Still around
The usual ping of a new email in my inbox didn't particularly excite me until I saw the words: "We still exist."
It was an email from Kristen reacting to the story I did for CBC, mourning the loss of the family-run grocery store in St. John's.
"[Seal Cove Grocery] has the house upstairs, friendly service, we have a 'tick book' for those who are in a bind, etc. We sell Keurig coffee pods and dishwasher pods in Baggies that we bag ourselves. We start slicing two pounds of Maple Leaf bologna cut on number seven thickness for Bruce when we see him pull into the parking lot every Friday. We know 90 per cent of our customers by name and their children's names as well," wrote Kristen.
The store does indeed still exist, and they're still doing things the old-fashioned way, to great success.
Like many family-run grocery stores across the province, Seal Cove Grocery was a privately owned mom-and-pop operation. Norm Ares opened the store at 198 Seal Cove Rd., Conception Bay South, in 1970 and ran it until 1980 when Frank and Marie Peddle took over and expanded the store.
The Peddles' son Mike carried on the tradition when he took over operations when they retired in the 1990s. It was Mike and his wife, Michelle, who saw the store expand further to include a Liquor Express in 2003. They sold the place to the current owners, the Dwyers, who took over in June 2021.
One-stop sub (and taco dip) shop
Customers seemed reluctant to accept the new ownership at first.
"When we first took it over, you could tell the hesitations from the customers. New is bad, you know," said Kristen. "But they're like family now. They hug us, they bring us Christmas gifts, birthday gifts. We know them all by name, they know us by name. It's old-fashioned, but we put a little tweak on that to make it ours."
Many also warned the Dwyers not to get into the sub sandwich business, including the former owners who offered two varieties of subs along with other deli case staples. Kristen saw this more as a challenge than an obstacle. Within six months they decided to expand the sub sandwich menu beyond pizza subs and deli cold cuts to offer donair subs, turkey and bacon with smoky chipotle sauce, chicken bacon ranch and honey mustard ham — all made on buns from Dough By's bakery in Conception Bay South.
They were an instant success.
But this shouldn't shock those who recognize Kristen from her stint on Season 2 of MasterChef Canada in 2015 — she knows how to make a good sandwich.
Last summer, they won the "best sandwich and sub" award from Community Votes St. John's, beating out the big buns Manna Bakery and 3 Sisters Vietnamese Subs, and now Seal Cove Grocery sells more than 300 subs a week.
Bringing in new local items and posting them on social media also proved successful — their homemade taco dips sell out instantly, and the bread from Volcano Bakery sells well, too.
"We're introducing some new local things, seeing what the customers want," said Kristen. They are now selling Indian Express meals and JMB sausages, as well.
"And we really do have a free-for-all. We're not a chain, we can bring in whatever we want."
Community and convenience
Seal Cove Grocery is convenient to people in the area, but they are adamant about not being known as a convenience store.
"The convenience factor is what you're paying for at a convenience store, but we're not that," said longtime employee Tara DeHann, who also goes by the nickname of "Shop Mama," as she's been around for almost two decades and knows how to run the show.
DeHann only lives a minute's walk away. The Dwyers live within three minutes, and the other two employees, Wes and Jamie Crawley, live upstairs so it's natural for them to go the extra mile for customers in their community.
"Someone wanted a pair of pantyhose, it was Christmas time," said Kristen. "It's one of the things we don't have so I said, 'I have a pair in the back,' so I ran home and got her a pair."
Seal Cove Grocery sells single batteries, dish detergent pods and coffee pods, and they've been known to sell half a cabbage, half a dozen eggs, and chilled wine for their customers in the deli case.
"If you went in anywhere and asked them to cut off half a cabbage, they would look at you like you had 10 heads," said Kristen. "You can't do this anywhere, but you can do it here."
There is evidence everywhere that this place is more than a store.
Dozens of leprechaun colouring sheets line the front wall by the post office and along the rafters, left over from the St. Patrick's Day colouring contest. At the cash, wool hats by Kristen's stepmom hang on the rack in Baggies alongside chocolate Easter eggs, and a neighbour sells her three-for-$5 knit dishcloths on the front counter.
The store is there for whatever you need — and they say if you come in three times a day, you get a prize; it could be a blanket or some swag from the reps.
The future is foodie
Though some small upgrades like a new floor and fridge are on the horizon, the biggest change on the menu is to the space currently occupied by the post office. Canada Post is moving its operation next door in June, so Seal Cove Grocery will be using that space to expand its menu to include hot foods.
Last summer they handed out a paper survey to every customer, asking them what kind of foods they would like to see offered for takeout — pizza won over fish and chips by a slim margin.
They've already purchased a pizza oven from another restaurant and plan to increase the number of subs they're selling now.
Same old-fashioned service, perhaps — but also more newfangled deliciousness.
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