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Dorr fixture Dick’s Market to be sold later this year

Dick’s Market, a grocery store that has been owned and operated by the same family for the past 65 years, is being sold to the Leppink’s chain of stores.

Leppink’s has food markets in Belding, Stanton, Lakeview, Howard City, Newaygo and Spring Lake, mostly north of Grand Rapids. Word on the street is that the sale will be final in October.

Dick’s Market was opened in downtown Dorr in 1955 by Dick and Rusty Dutkiewicz. They moved the grocery into the Hillcrest Mall east of Dorr on 142nd Avenue in 1987and then located across the street at 16231 142nd Ave. in 2008.

Dick and Rusty came up with the motto, “Our Family Serving Your Family Since 1955.” All of their children worked at the store throughout the years.

Dick Dutkiewicz retired in 1998 after 43 years running the grocery and serving as Dorr Township Clerk. Control of the family business passed to his daughter and son-in-law, Cathy and Ron Merren, and son and daughter-in-law Steve and Tammy Dutkiewicz.

Steve Dutkiewicz continues as store owner today.

“We haven’t changed it because all the employees we’ve had working here have always ‘owned it’ as if they were family,” Steve told the Penasee Globe.

Dick’s grocery distributor, IGA, pulled out of West Michigan in the 1960s and he subsequently asked for membership in Spartan Stores, but was denied because Jay DeJong ran a Spartan store in the next block. As a result, Dick was forced to haul his own groceries every week from a cash and carry warehouse.

After Dick’s moved into Hillcrest Mall, the grocery was admitted into the fraternity of Spartan Stores.

Dick decided to begin making his own kielbasa. In the 1970s and it was a hit among his customers so he added bratwurst and breakfast sausage to his offerings.

“Dick’s faithful customers knew to ‘buy local”’ before it was cool to shop local,” Steve told the Globe at the store’s 60th anniversary. “It’s easy to understand that you really are ‘supporting local’ when you see that your neighbor works at the store to help support her family.”

But family and local will no longer describe Dick’s Market later this year.

15 Comments

  • So sad that it won’t be locally owned anymore. I’ve always felt a loyalty to Dicks because of Dick and Rusty. It is heartbreaking to see their work and heritage being sold out.

    • I would focus more on the fact that Amazon is coming for them all. All these grocery stores did not try evolve and now Amazon is trimming off the fat.

  • Congrats on a long, successful run! I enjoyed working at Dick’s Market for a couple years out of highschool. They treated their employees well. While it is bittersweet to see the legacy come to an end, I wish the entire family the best!

  • It didn’t have to be this way but hopefully we all keep our jobs and the new owners support the community and it will all work out everyone

  • It’s a shame that the family business wasn’t offered to other family members first………Selfish decision.

    Cheers!!

  • Our family is so excited to have the Family owned Leppinks Grocery Stores coming to Dorr.

    In a time when so many small business are failing, or small business are being bought up by big box retailers, how lucky is our community to continue to have a family owned grocery store.

    Before moving to Dorr we shopped their other locations. The 90 years of history the Leppinks have in the grocery business and their community involvement is a positive for our community.

    We are excited to see the Home Town Feel The Leppinks will be bringing later this year.

    Family and Local will continue in Dorr!

    • “Leppink’s has food markets in Belding, Stanton, Lakeview, Howard City, Newaygo and Spring Lake, mostly north of Grand Rapids.”

      They are not family and they certainly are far from local………….

      Cheers!!

      • Mr Wilkens – I know several of the Leppinks family and have worked with them over the past 20+ years. They certainly ARE a family owned business, their next generation are hands-on in the operation of the stores and their stores are “local”. They recognize the unique aspects of each community they are in. Though I am sad to hear that the Dutkiewicz family will no longer own and operate the store I am NOT disappointed that the Leppinks family showed an interest in the business. It will obviously have a little different look and feel but I urge you to continue supporting this LOCAL small business.

          • Mr Wilkens – you seem to have an axe to grind with the Dutkiewicz family. The decision ultimately who to sell to was made by them. I personally believe it was a good choice for our community. To disillusion the good people of Dorr (and other communities) who have shopped here for so long is a disservice to the Dutkiewicz family and the employees who work there. Why don’t you give the Leppinks’ family a chance? In the end what matters is that we have our local grocery store and that it serves our community well.

  • My mom and I have always shopped at Dick’s all these years. They were also our friends and still are. It’s time for them to enjoy the pleasures of life. They spend long hours there. Thank you for being part of my childhood (Rusty cashier and me and money for penny candy) and adulthood. The world is changing, and not just Dicks!

  • Corporate, Blech! I hope we can still get kielbasa. Grand Rapids (where I grew up.) is down to Sobie’s and Frank’s. Otherwise I guess I’ll have to drive to Hamtramck.

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