Strack & Van Til of St. John ushered in 25 years of providing fresh produce and grocery goods to the St. John community by unveiling a major remodeling of the deli, produce, floral, bakery, and seafood departments on Wednesday. While the square footage of the store hasn’t changed, the remodel and reconfiguring of the different departments provides for wide-open spaces, an improved shopping experience, and a new, modern look.
“This is a huge day for us. We’ve brought the floral department to the front of the store, widened the produce, deli, seafood, and bakery departments, as well as made the overall store look fuller and more presentable for our customers,” said Stephanie Thompson, Grocery Manager at Strack & Van Til of St. John. “The remodel has been in the works for about 3 1/2 months, and now that it’s finally complete, there’s happy smiles all around today. It serves as a fresh new start for everything, and we’re excited for our customers to come in and enjoy.”
Employees, shoppers, chamber members, and more bustled around the store on Wednesday morning in awe of the spacious changes. One of the new features, in particular, was a true crowd-pleaser. Strack & Van Til introduced a brand-new DIY pineapple core cutting machine located in the produce department.
Walking through the store, it’s easy to notice the substantial amount of work and planning that went into making the St. John location a go-to for many community members. Customers passing by the celebration noted the changes as they went about their daily grocery shopping.
“The prices keep me coming back to the St. John Strack’s. It’s always been a clean store, but as soon as I walked in, I noticed the changes. The floral department, in particular, caught my eye. It felt a lot more spacious,” said Grace Guillermo, Strack & Van Til shopper.
The women of the St. John Strack & Van Til floral department couldn’t be happier with the upgrade.
“It’s absolutely beautiful. Customers walk in and they are amazed and happy. It makes them want to buy flowers for sure,” said Kim Naughton, Floral Department co-manager.
“Before we moved to the front of the store, some customers didn’t even know we existed. Now, we can’t even keep everything full because we are busy all day long,” said Lindsay Bess, Floral Department co-manager.
Strack & Van Til President and CEO Jeff Strack said a few words before the shiny blue ribbon was cut as customers, community members, and staff circled around to celebrate. Gift cards were handed out, and passersby had the opportunity to enter raffles to win a 65-inch TV, Yeti cooler, Weber grill, wine cooler, mini-fridge, and much more.
“It has been a great partnership with the Town on St. John, and we’re really excited about the grand re-opening. We felt it was time to give the store a refresh and add in some more modern amenities throughout,” Strack said.
Strack thanked a big team of contributors who have helped the store get to where it is today, including staff members, the maintenance department, operations, contractors, CORE construction, the St. John Chamber, and of course, the Town of St. John.
“It was a big job that had to be done in order to give our customers the shopping experience that they wanted. Our goal is always to be a good neighbor and to add value to the Town of St. John in order to make it a better place to live, and to add to what the community has to offer to its current and future residents,” Strack said.
To learn more about Strack & Van Til, visit their website at https://strackandvantil.com/.
