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Coldwater Chief Supermarket director Steve Adams will retire at 1 p.m. Friday after 50 years of service.
COLDWATER - Steve Adams, also known as "Friendly" for obvious reasons, runs the show at Chief Supermarket in Coldwater. But more often than not, he can can be found restocking canned goods or even mopping the floor.
"I never was one that liked to be behind the desk," Adams said. "I liked working out on the floor with the people, and I think people respected that out of me a lot because I stepped right in and did what they say."
The kindly, unassuming supermarket director with a flair for ordering just the right number of products to keep the shelves and refrigerators filled and knowing his customers by name is calling it a day.
Shoppers who have come to know the 66-year-old grocer have until 1 p.m. Friday to offer their farewells to Adams before he finishes out his career spent at the store and its affiliates in Celina and St. Marys.
"It's probably going to be tough walking out of here for the last time," Adams said.
Steve Adams stocks shelves at Chief on Wednesday afternoon.
The grocery store originally opened as Miller Super Dollar in 1965. It became Brodbecks Supermarket when Joe Brodbeck purchased it less than a year later, Adams said. Brodbeck also had grocery stores in St. Marys and Celina.
His father, Bob Adams, was the general manager of all three grocery stores before he eventually bought them, he said.
Steve Adams and his two siblings followed in the footsteps of their father. His sister, Lisa Roth, retired as the meat manager at the Celina store a few years back, and his brother, Scott Adams, retired as the manger of the Celina location about five years ago.
On the books, Steve Adams will have put in 50 years with the grocery stores. There were a few years, though, when he worked but wasn't on the payroll.
"I always came in here with my dad. He made me come in on Saturday mornings to sort pop bottles," he said.
At 16, he formally launched his career with the store by carrying out groceries to customers' vehicles.
"My first paycheck I brought home was $12, I think, and that was for one day of work," he said. "I could fill my car up (with gas) then."
Steve Adams remained at the Coldwater store for about 20 years, moving up the line to stocker and then department manager. After undergoing a series of transfers back and forth between the Celina and St. Marys locations, he eventually returned to become director of the Coldwater store in 2010.
The Coldwater store expanded over the years, growing from 7,200 square feet to over 27,700 square feet and featuring dairy, produce, deli, bakery, meat, frozen food and grocery departments.
Chief Supermarket is located at 810 East Main Street in Coldwater.
It also changed hands from Bob Adams to a trio of men - Dave Fink, Bill Vondrell and Neil Schafer - before being acquired by the Defiance-based Chief company in 2000 and then Fresh Encounter of Findlay in 2014.
The store took on different names and owners since 1965, but an emphasis on friendliness and customer service has stayed the same, Steve Adams said.
In fact, customers often remark that "it just feels good" entering the familiar setting of the grocery store, he said. Store employees still bag and cart groceries to customers' vehicles. He said the old-fashioned service is appreciated by mothers with children and the seniors - and downright shocking to people from outside the area.
As director, Steve Adams' hard-working but easy-to-approach vibe resonated with shoppers as much as it did employees. The store has a low turnover rate, he said.
"I think people enjoyed working for me over the years and that's why we had a lot of longterm people here because we just got along as a group," he said.
The store also was the first workplace for many town youths.
"We hire a lot of high school kids, and a lot of them always say, years laters, 'That was one of the best jobs I ever had,'" he said.
Steve Adams has no immediate plans for retirement other than spending time with his wife, Jan, two adult children and grandchildren; riding his motorcycle and taking a vacation where for the first time he won't be worrying about what's happening in his store.
