If you are like me and prefer to pick up a newspaper and read it front to back rather than online, you are part of a generation that also grew up riding your bike to the small neighborhood store to buy penny candy and then returning to play outside until the streetlights came on.
The small-town grocery stores are almost gone now, replaced by big-box stores, and corporations focused on selling cheaply and maximizing profits for their shareholders. Customer service is rare, and asking someone for help finding something is almost impossible.
But here in Blackfoot, we have a treasure: Kesler’s Market, a fourth-generation, family-owned grocery store and garden center.
The store began in 1933 when F.C. Kelser moved his family from Mackay to Blackfoot after seeing a house for sale at 593 W. Bridge St., now the site of “Eye Care For You.” He purchased the property for $50.
Using salvaged wood from the property in MacKay, F.C. and his sons built a 16-by-20-foot grocery store near the house, opening for business in 1934. Skeptics thought it would not last, but with determination and hard work, the store prospered, and they expanded it every few years to keep up with growing business.
In 1946, F.C. turned the business over to two of his sons, Jack and Ray, with Jack later buying out his brother.
By 1952, facing the need to expand again, Jack began searching for a site to build a new market, recalling his father’s advice to be visible and easy to find. 925 W. Bridge St. became the new location for Kesler’s Market.
After adding the garden center and expanding once more to 13,000 square feet, Jack’s sons, Bob and Kelly, took over ownership of the store when Jack retired in 2012.
Now the fourth generation of Keslers is at the helm. Bob’s son, McKay, began managing the store in 2017 after working his way up and learning the ins and outs of the business.
There have been a few other grocery stores in Blackfoot, but none have lasted. Kesler’s has stood the test of time. Why? I feel it’s because of how you’re treated from the minute you enter the store. Customer service is the top priority, along with a variety of grocery options that fill every corner of the store. McKay and his staff work to make your shopping easy and quick. If he doesn’t have it in stock, I’ve known him to special-order items for shoppers who don’t want to look elsewhere.
The state-of-the-art garden center is always busy, full of flowers, plants and everything you need for your garden or yard from the first warm spring day until the first frost. The employees can answer your questions and advise you on what will help with your planting.
The grocery industry is always changing, and so has Kelser’s. They added a sushi bar in 2019, which has been extremely successful. An online shopping option has also been added, and home delivery is available.
McKay believes that being part of the community and supporting it are vital to any business. As lifelong residents, he and his family have supported school sports, 4-H, and many other local groups and organizations.
What is so important to me is that if we don’t support our local, independent businesses, they will all disappear. That neighborhood store from your youth is most likely not there anymore. I know mine isn’t.
Kesler’s has made it work.
Located at 925 W. Bridge St., Kesler’s is open Monday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., closed on Sundays. Call 208-785-0555 for more information. Visit its website at keslersmarket.com to view the weekly ads and shop online.
Colleen Hancock of Blackfoot is a member, past president and district officer of Rotary International. An avid crocheter, she has stitched hundreds of items from afghans to sweaters to fun little creations. She and her late husband, L. Scott Hancock, moved to Blackfoot in 2018.
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