Lloyd’s of Lewes celebrates 40 years in business

Most people who have spent more than a few days in Lewes know about Lloyd’s Market, a grocery store owned by the Purcell family since its November 1971 opening.

Unlike supermarkets, Lloyd’s meats are just a few steps through the door, not a 50-yard walk to the back of the store.

Because of the store’s compact size, it’s a short walk to everything. The produce section is only a few steps away from meats. Breads are only a few steps from the checkout counter.

Store owners, Dottie and Lloyd Purcell, said throughout the years the grocery business has grown more complicated and competition more intense.

“It’s a struggle, now. The big guys weren’t here years ago. They elected to leave town,” Lloyd said.

He said at one time, supermarket chains Acme and A&P each had a store in Lewes. Lloyd said corporate managers for those stores decided to move them.

“They left for maybe 10 years. A&P moved down to Rehoboth, and then started moving up this way under different names,” he said.

Lloyd said the grocery business is getting more complicated because, “The pie is getting smaller. Everybody’s getting a piece of the action.”

He said the nation’s sluggish economy is also taking a toll on the grocery business.

Despite being surrounded by supermarkets in the Route 1 corridor, all of which dwarf the grocery store, Lloyd’s is successfully competing with Food Lion, Giant, Safeway, SuperFresh and drug stores selling groceries.

“It’s a real chore with all the big stores around,” Lloyd said.

He said in the grocery business, profit margins are small. “The margin of error is even smaller because you can’t make many mistakes. If you make too many wrong decisions you’re out of business,” Lloyd said.

He said one reason the store has continued to do well is because of its customers. Many of them live in Lewes and don’t want to deal with Route 1 traffic, especially during summer.

“I think they venture out a little bit in the winter months, but they keep coming back,” he said.

The Purcells said they know most of their customers by name – some of them for two generations or more. “That’s the fun part, when people come back, even the employees who used to work here. That’s the rewarding part,” Dottie said.

“In summertime, we’ll get a lot of the people who used to live here and moved away. They’ll come back on vacation and just come in because we’re still here and it feels good to be back,” she said.

A few years ago, Lloyd’s ceased being an IGA-affiliated store and affiliated with SureFine.

“I didn’t have a choice. The IGA banner pulled out of the Mid-East coast. It was a big change,” Lloyd said.

He said he didn’t like having to change because he had promoted IGA brands for years and so had Frank Robinson, the store’s previous owner.

The Purcells say quality produce and meats is another reason the store has continued to do well.

“Produce is number one in the summertime, and meats are number one in the wintertime,” Lloyd said.

He said 90 percent of the produce sold at the store – whatever’s in-season – is grown locally.

“We have produce people who specialize in different things like corn, peaches, and sweet potatoes,” Lloyd said.

Is it an enjoyable business? “When you’re young it’s a challenge. When you’re old, it’s a challenge to get out of it,” Lloyd said.

He said taking time-off is nearly impossible. “I come in 7 days a week but I might only work 4 or 5 hours. I’ve gotta’ come in and see what’s going on,” he said.

Including family members, Lloyd’s has 16, full- and part-time employees.

“Most of them have been here a long time. That’s another plus,” Dottie said.

Daughter Amy, handles the store’s office work. Her husband, Lenny, takes care of produce and the store’s computers. Son, Darren, said he does a little bit of everything.

Darren said many newcomers to Lewes don’t know the store is there, probably because of its size.

“A lot of people have the stereotype that because you’re a small business, your prices are going to be extremely higher than the bigger stores. Actually, it’s really the opposite. We’re lower priced than the larger stores because we don’t have the overhead,” Darren said.

Lloyd, 67, and Dottie, 66, said they’re slowing down a little but they’re not quite ready to pass the business on to the next generation.

“The store’s doors have been swinging for about 80 years. It’s been a deli and an ice cream parlor, but the door has always been swinging as a food store of some sort,” Lloyd said.

Lloyds Market is at 611 Savannah Road at Manila Avenue. For additional information, call the store at 302-645-6589.