Blake Terrill, right, with father and partner Dane Terrill welcomed the multitudes to the Grand Reopening of Terrill’s Market, 119 E. Main, Marcellus, Friday, July 18. Blake has implemented many changes to the market since taking the helm one year ago. – News Photo
“I’m young and optimistic and believe that anything can work, I just want to see this store be the best service to the community that it possibly can be.” – Blake Terrill, Terrill’s Market
Blake Terrill – optimist.
It was almost a year ago that Terrill’s Market changed hands for the third time since 1917. Terrill’s first turned their lights on for business in 1917 when Elmer J. Terrill opened his first store on Burney Street. His son, Bus, and Bus’s wife Pete, followed in his footsteps and in 1964, Ron Terrill went into partnership with his parents and took over sole ownership 17 years later. In 2024, Blake donned his grandfather’s butcher’s apron with his dad, Dane, and sister, McKenna, as partners.
As generations past have done, Terrill’s Market hosted a Grand Reopening Party for the community. And the community came out in proverbial droves, Friday, July 18, to show their appreciation and support of one of Marcellus’ longest continuously operating businesses.
“Every generation of Terrills that have taken over this store has done some kind of reopening party,” Terrill says. “It made a lot more sense when my grandpa did it because the store had been closed a couple of weeks when he took over.
“As a community that doesn’t get enough opportunities to come out and spend time with people, eat, drink and listen to music, I thought it was a great time. And three days from today, [Monday, July 21] is the anniversary of Ron’s passing.
“We as a business want to celebrate this community, because it’s what has allowed us to continue doing what we’re doing.”
Anyone who’s visited the Market during the past year has seen many changes from fresh produce to local items and new equipment. While Terrill’s has made significant financial investments in the store’s infrastructure, Terrill says the most important change is staff.
“To me, the biggest change is the amount of staff that we have and the number of hours that they work, and the skills that they’ve all developed. They’ve gone from their main function being running a cash register and waiting on customers to cutting meat with me. All of them stuff brats with me. All of them are making up their own brat seasonings. I hope they feel we’ve empowered them to be owners of what their work is. That’s what’s been fun. They make going into the store every day a really fun and enjoyable experience, otherwise it can get monotonous.”
And what would his grandfather Ron say about all this?
“Stop spending all your money. Save as much money as you can. As he got older, he got more and more conservative because all that represented risk for him. He didn’t see the upside of bringing in a new produce cooler and bringing in a new freezer, new meat case. Because I’m young and optimistic and believe that anything can work, I just want to see this store be the best service to the community that it possibly can be.”
And for that and much more, Blake, the community thanks you.
And food for thought, perhaps an annual Grand Reopening party?
###
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.