Risk & Business Magazine F.A. Peabody Insurance Spring 2017 | Page 8

Jon and Peter Ellis
Brandy Brooks, Jon Ellis, Trudi McKenney
Ellis Family Market:
Always In Good Taste
P
atten, Maine, is a town of about
one thousand people tucked
into the scenic and rustic region
of Mount Katahdin, Baxter
State Park, and now the region’s
newest recreational area, Katahdin Woods
and Waters National Monument. Patten is
at least a 40-minute drive from the larger
towns of Houlton and Millinocket where
more amenities are available. For the
Patten resident, Ellis Family Market is a
much-needed stop for everyday needs.
In 1983, Al Ellis and his wife, Lou, fulfilled
a lifelong dream of becoming business
owners and bought a local grocery store
in Patten. In 1988, they built a new store
next door to the old one and expanded
their product selection. Their sons, Peter
and Jon, after graduating college in 1989
and 1993, respectively, came home and
joined the business, taking over ownership
of the store in the late 1990s. In 2010, they
undertook a huge renovation project and
doubled the size of Ellis Family Market.
In 2014, the Ellis brothers bought the
former Lounsbury’s Shop ‘n’ Save in East
Millinocket and now have plans to double
the size of this new store next fall.
When asked how the grocery business
has changed over the years, Peter remarks
on the significant changes in the habits
of grocery shoppers. In his early days,
typically people shopped for groceries once
a week or every other week — buying basic
staples like flour, meat, and vegetables
— since they mostly ate at home and did
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their own cooking. He even remembers
selling flour by the pallet when it was on
sale. Now, shoppers tend to visit the store
every few days, buying smaller amounts of
products and favoring packaged products
that are easier to prepare quickly when
they do eat at home. At one time, the
cereal aisle was about 20 feet long and
the store stocked nearly all of the cereal
varieties produced. Now, the length of the
cereal aisle has doubled, but they stock just
a fraction of what’s available on the market
because the consumption and variety of
cereal has grown exponentially.
Peter also remembers laughing when
they got their first gallon of water to sell
in the store, certain that bottled water
sales would never take off. Now Peter and
Jon stock many different varieties and
sell it every day. Specialty diets, such as
gluten-free, have increased the demand for
certain products that were unheard of a
generation ago. Another big change is the
use of social media for marketing. When
a product is marked down for quick sale, a
simple Facebook post will get the word out
so quickly that the items will be sold out
within a day. Concerning social media, the
Ellis Family Market utilizes its Facebook
page well and has many positive reviews
about the high quality of service at both
stores.
The local community has changed over the
years, experiencing a decline in population
as more of its younger people are moving
away. The Ellis Family Market adapts to
these changes by paying close attention to
the needs of the community and providing
a wide variety of products in addition
to groceries. As other stores in the area
have closed over the years, the Ellis’ have
added some popular “lost” products to
their inventory to help satisfy the needs
of their customers. Peter is hopeful that
any new businesses that are opening in
the area will bring a promising influx of
people and jobs. Baxter State Park attracts
many tourists in the summer, bringing a
50 percent increase in summer sales. Peter
and Jon hope the addition of the Katahdin
Woods and Waters National Monument
will attract even more people to the area.
The Ellis family has weathered the test
of time and the many changes in the
grocery industry with grace and creativity,
and they will continue to take on new
challenges in our fast-changing world. +
BY: STEVEN FITZPATRICK,
F. A. PEABODY INSURANCE
Steven Fitzpatrick is branch manager for
the Houlton office.