“Hey, Tim. This is the sheriff, I’m so sorry to tell you this, but you need to come to town right now… Alexander’s is on fire.”
We all know the power of our words and the true impact they hold, but this sentence held the power to jolt both Tim and Betsy Alexander into a flurry only those that have experienced loss understand. After 31 years of business, owners Tim and Betsy Alexander weren’t foreign to hard times, but there is something about watching your first baby enveloped in a gray haze of smoke that hits a different part of your heart.
Let’s rewind to 1988, when two 22-ish year-old newlyweds decided to invest all of their money and time into a business that most choose not to pursue. Little Scottie’s Convenience Store, which was renamed to Alexander’s Grocery and Deli, wasn’t grandiose, nor did it promise riches, but the one thing that it did exceptionally well was facilitate community. Tim, graduating from college with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management, and Betsy, with a degree in Recreational Therapy, earned degrees’ that differed greatly from a bird’s eye but shared a common theme: serving others. When asked why they initially started this business, their immediate response was because they wanted to be in a community that felt like a family: they ended their search in Canadian. While Tim loves whipping up some tasty treats and Betsy’s outlet was RT, their ‘why’ is their passion for making a difference in others’ lives, and Alexander’s Grocery and Deli facilitated that purpose. They faced many challenges, as most entrepreneurs do when starting a business, but they tucked their heads down and trusted that the Lord would provide their daily bread. To no surprise, He did. Whether it be a recession or oil field boom, they were confident they were exactly where they were supposed to be.
Now, let’s travel back to the night of the fire: as Tim and Betsy watched their beloved store burn, all they could do was flip through the memories that were created within the confinements of those doors. They travelled back to the time when they were their only employees, working 19 hours a day to put a chicken strip on the table (not just a proverbial one!) They then thought of all the people that made this place great: Jean Ross, Dolly Mitchell, Nan Carver, Pam Kirkman, all of the high school kids that devoted their summers, Alicia and Norma, Brandy and Barb— the list could go on forever. If the inside of those walls could talk… actually, maybe they shouldn't! All we would hear back would be stories of Tim challenging every employee (and customer) to a game of ‘guess that artist’ of an 80’s song that was on the radio, or talk about how he was always outnumbered by the ladies! He does tend to be quite dramatic. All joking aside, if we look at a theme, we see the memories we hold close to us are full of the people that do life with us. Life without community is lonely and can often be found meaningless. It is our neighbors that inspire change, give generously to their community, and help make life worth living.
As we look back on the past year since we have reopened, the crew at Alexander’s Grocery and Deli is filled with immense gratitude and hope. Gratitude for a community that gives so generously and resembles a family, and hope for a better today and tomorrow. If it's one thing that we have learned throughout almost 32 years of business, it is that there will always be a fire, or a pandemic, in our lives. Trials will arise in all moments of life, but the one thing that holds constant is God’s provision and the value of community.
Thank you, Canadian, for being our family and allowing us to serve you: here is to many more years of making memories with you!
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