LAKE CITY REPORTER, SUNDAY, JUNE 19, 2005 5D LOCAL & STATE 4b. -4- 41 - S - -mw A S&S Continued From Page 1D staff fill out the myriad paperwork that must be completed in order to be considered for the award. "It's the people under me that make me look good," he said. I But Lester and Ann worked for many long, hard years themselves to make sure S&S Food Stores became the success it is today. Back in 1961, he said, the young couple bought a gas station and small supermarket owned by the late James "Jimmy" Tyson, a for- mer Lake City mayor. Lester said that Tyson had several Jimmy's Foods stores around town and he bought that first one at the inter- section of U.S. 41 North and Wilson Street. "He sold me the first store because he had become mayor and promised the people that he would be a full-time mayor," he said. S.There at that first store, Lester explained how the name S&S was born. Though many people believe it stands for Scaff and Scaff, being him and his wife as the owners, he said it actually is a fictitious name, the result of a sign design gone awry. Lester said when the sign painter came to paint, the marquee in front of the store, he, wanted it to read "Scaff's" with a large bold-type let- ter "s" on each end of the name. But he said the sign painter thought people would wind up call-, ing the store cafff." As a result, Lester said the cafff" was dropped altogether and the name became' simply "S&S" for the two bold let-, ters he wanted highlighted. "That's really (here it came. from," Lester said.; . And from that first store, S&S Food Stores grew throughout the' county as the' couple bought up more stores, the first several being those that were once. Jimmy's Foods. "We really got a. good start,with, what he sold us," Lester said. The second store was along U.S. 90 West and opened in 1964, when the road. was just a two-lane high- way. It was that second S&S Food Store that would, determine the direction the company would take in the coming years. Soon after'it opened, Lester said, -work began to widen U.S. 90 West to four lanes. At that time, he said the. goal of S&S. was to be mnore "groceiy-store oriented." But as the road construction hampered his business, he found himself hav- ing to keep the store open 7 a.m. to, S11 p.m. to make it work. . ' With those hours and the increased traffic on the road seek- ing gasoline and perhaps a quick snack rather than groceries, Lester Lester Scaff (photo above. presi- dent of S&S Food Stores, stands in front of the coffee machine area in one of his stores, exclu- siveil featuring Java Coast coffee in the area. The company says ;' the coffee program has been pop- .. - ular with its customers. intersection of U.S. 41 North anc I Wilson Street in north Lake City (photo at right was the first store purchased by Lester and Ann Scaff. founders of S&S Food ------ --:-- ..."-- Stores in 1961. The business now consists of three Scaff's Markets and 44 S&S Food Store convenience stores in eight coun- ties. -aid "that's what led us into the said. "Business. always has In the future, Lester said S&S convenience store business." changed." may add fewer new stores in favor By 1969, he said S&S was up to Still, he added, "I've always been of revamping older stores at key five stores in.eight years. really surprised that we've been locations to put in more gas pumps SOver the years, the company able to do what we've been able to. and modernize them. went through cycles of unprece- do." Looking back at the success he dented growth, to where today Lester said much of the success and his wife have had with S&S. there are three Scaff's supermar- is certainly'because of the people Lester believes ,it had less to do kets and 44 S&S convenience who work at S&S and their com- with them and more to do with a stores in eight counties includ- mitment to the customer and their benevolent being. ing Columbia, Hamilton, community. "I've been blessed all the way,", Suwannee, Baker, Union, Clay, Every year, he said the employ- he said. "I've always said I've got an Gilchrist and Alachua. ees of S&S stores raise. about angel overlooking mie, me and Ann.' There '' re also'' about "425 '$55,000-$60;Q00 for the'Children's It's not because I'm smartt, because employeeswithin the company. "Mifracle Network througfi their' Fminot. It has alot4o do with being Lester said there wasn't always a own efforts, blessed and being persistent and conscious effort to keep .growing "They, don't get paid for that," working at a job is really what it is. the business, but that "when we Lester said. "They do that out of Still staying at it for all these years started Lake City, was really grow- the goodness of their heart," and having the people around me ing." He said while every employee at to help people. The people make "It always started growing a little S&S is given the 'opportunity to the difference. You can't do it if you bit over the years and we were at succeed if they want to, it is the can't have the people to help you the right time and the right place- people who have stayed for many do it. It's always people." that we could add the stores," he years'that are "our backbone." - - a - ~ - I; y~1u~ (rm'~ ~w4 I~ b IIJ~ S - ~r * m m - S " * ~- 0 w - - a - - f Ribbon cutting Three Rivers Legal Services (TRLS) celebrated an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony Friday at its new location on NW Lake City Avenue. TRLS is a non-profit corporation that provides free civil legal services to low-income ' clients. The ribbon cutting ceremony officially marked the dedication of the hew 3,500 square foot building located at 334 NW Lake City Avenue. The funds, needed to purchase the land and begin construction were made possible by a Community Facilities Loan from United States Department,of Agriculture Rural Development. "Copyrighted Material Syndicated Content - Available from Commercial News Providers" - q - Iqw lftff NPIW 111111111ft - .. . - o * - - a