Check out the changes
Kenny’s IGA revamps to focus on excellence in Lincoln City
Big changes are afoot for one of the Oregon Coast’s longest-serving grocery stores. We checked in with Andy Morgan, owner of Kenny’s IGA, to get the scoop in the following Q&A.
What is the big change with Kenny's IGA and when will it be happening?
After doing business in the current location for four generations of the Morgan family, the north location in Lincoln City will be closing its doors on August 30. While this was certainly not the first Kenny's IGA location in what is now Lincoln City, it has been the location that has been occupied for the longest time. So many generations of local residents and visitors alike have shared experiences shopping in this flagship location over the years. Many people identify Lincoln City, the local beaches and their vacations with stops at Kenny's IGA. It is really a heart-warming feeling to know that our Kenny's IGA family has participated in so many memories for so many people.
How long have you been thinking about making a change?
We have been actively looking for a new tenant for the property for about five years now. We thought we found a perfect family to carry on the traditions of Kenny's IGA about two years ago but the plans unraveled just prior to the rough stretch we will all remember as the pandemic. It just wasn't meant to be and, as a family, we figured we were supposed to steer this store through the very difficult past two years. As the economy began to emerge from the darkness of the pandemic interruptions, the family was approached by a party that was interested in purchasing the property where the Kenny's IGA has operated since the early 1960s. The family that owned the property was ready to proceed with the sale and one of the conditions of the sale was to vacate the portion of the building that the grocery store occupies. While this wasn't the ideal situation for the grocery store, it did accommodate the real estate transfer.
What are the main reasons behind the decision?
As a small, family-run operation, it has become more and more of a challenge to run two locations with the kind of care and detail that we have always strived for as a family. Services have suffered and operationally we feel that we could do better. At times we have felt like our family was being run by the stores rather than the stores being run by our family. Now, when I say family, I mean our whole IGA family. Each and every employee and vendor are part of our family. It takes so much effort by so many individuals to make a small community grocery store operate to our high standards. Frankly, even with such great people and such great effort, we felt at times that we were falling short of expectations. To serve the great customers in the area is what has driven us for so long — possibly longer than our practical life-span. The economic pressures, food-chain demands, labor struggles in the seasonal business environment, and long, long hours have led us to this decision more than anything. After years of sacrificing family time and weekends to staff two stores, we decided it was time to make a change. It's really a decision based on our kids and their kids. Anyone who really knows us, who really knows what kind of time and effort we put into our work can tell you that it is time for some changes in our schedule. When the opportunity came along to transfer the property — we decided to make the change.
Kenny's has a long history in the Oceanlake area. How long has your family been in the grocery business there?
Kenny Morgan Sr. came to the area in 1938, long before Lincoln City was even an incorporated city. As a manager for the Safeway company at the time, Kenny Sr. grew fond of the area and the opportunities. Safeway moved from the area, selling their equipment to Kenny Sr. in 1941 and the first of his markets was born. There were five Morgan children that grew up in the Oceanlake area. Kenny Sr. and his wife Lucille had a few locations before moving into the current location in the early 1960s. Kenny Jr. and his wife Diana became actively involved in the business following Jr's return from college in the late 1960s. In 1970, Kenny Jr. and Diana convinced the Sr. Morgans to purchase another former Safeway location, the current Kenny's IGA Village Market, in the Taft area. By the mid-1980s, Kenny Sr. and Lucille had retired from the company. History repeated itself in the 1990s as third-generation Kenny III (Andy) and his new bride Elizabeth began their careers in the family business. Now, the fourth-generation of the Morgan family (Meqia and Maggie) are learning the trade while fifth-generation, great-great-granddaughter, MargieMae has grown up running around the aisles.
What will the move mean for employees at the Oceanlake store?
As a company, and a family, we felt it was the right thing to do to notify the current employees of the possible changes as soon as possible. When we learned of the likelihood of the property sale, we explained the situation to all of the employees. While we couldn't promise everyone a future position, we left the door open for the possibility and emphasized our intentions to help in any way we can. Some have moved on, making a near impossible labor situation even harder in the present. However, those that have remained on with the company are all the best of the best. We have people on staff that are nearing 20 years with the company, a few with more than 15 years and many with greater than 10 years employed. As a family, you always hope for the best and try to help everyone plan as best as you can. Currently, we have about half of our practical level of staff. These depleted levels of labor have caused us to reduce hours of operation at both locations while we make the changes for the future.
What will you miss most about the Oceanlake store?
Without question, the thing we will miss every day is the daily customers. We don't simply see ourselves as a grocery store — we feel we are a community center. We get our news on the floor of the store. We hear about friends and their families every day. Long before social media, we just socialized in person at the grocery store. We still do that today. We appreciate the people who have been a part of our everyday lives.
What are you looking forward to most about the change?
The most important thing about focusing on a single location is the quality of service we hope to provide. It's really that simple. In recent years, we have felt our standards be challenged so much. While it has remained undetectable for many, it has remained a constant struggle to find new ways to serve in a way we can accept as the “gold standard.” I think we have failed in this respect, more times than we care to. We want to get the roots back into the ground and see what we can grow. We don't want people to settle. We want to be better than the rest. It should be a pleasure to shop with us, and it should be a treat for us to impress each and every customer. It's really about getting back to the standards that were set by Kenny and Lucille, way back in the 1940s.
