Seattle Press on Line - M and R Produce Closes its Doors after 15 Years

M and R Produce Closes its Doors after 15 Years

By Unknown Writer #3

George Leblanc with his wife Pam.

Aug 23, 2000 -- The cozy neighborhood commercial strip on North 55th Street, home to the Honeybear Bakery, Zoka Coffee and others, lost a longtime fixture as owner George Leblanc closed the doors to his 15-year-old business, M and R Produce at 2110 N 55th St., on Aug. 18.

He said it came down to choosing between shutting down the business and remodeling the store. Leblanc said with increasing labor and rent costs it was difficult to keep the store running so, about two months ago, he decided that he would shut it down.

"It's something I've been thinking about for a while," he said. "It just reflects the situation for small businesses in Seattle."

"It's getting very expensive to do business in Seattle," said Leblanc. Residents in that area will now have to choose between Albertson's by Green Lake and the QFC on North 45th Street for grocery shopping in their neighborhood. "It's a very, very loyal customer base," Leblanc said. "[The customers] are sad to see it go. It makes it difficult for them."

Leblanc said that it is very difficult to make a living running a green-grocery. He said he was working 50 to 70 hours per week. "It really is hard to compete," he said. "Some of it's just the nature of the business."

He said most of his seven employees have been with the store for more than 10 years and some for almost 14 years. "If any of us were doing this for the money, we would've left long ago," he said.

Leblanc said that he will probably go to work for another grocery business, most likely a large chain like QFC.

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Anonymous	Aug 02, 2004
George rulz!!!