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Spring Street Market prides itself on customer service

In the age of mega supermarket chains and other big box stores, Manchester’s own Spring Street Market at 801 S. Spring St. continues to serve local citizens as a friendly community market.

Originally opened 82 years ago, Spring Street Market has been owned and operated by Kenneth and Mary Duke for 30 years next July 4th.

“I have been in the grocery business since I was 13 years old,” owner Kenneth Duke said. “I am originally from Dothan, Alabama, but I moved up here 45 years ago.”

Now 66-years old, Duke got his start in the business at an independent grocery store, not unlike Spring Street Market.

“I started there when I was 13 years old and started cutting meat when I was 16 and have always been in the grocery business all my life,” he said.

“We offer good customer service. We still unload groceries, we still carry out your groceries, the meat department cuts special orders. Our people speak and will help you find things.

After spending some time in the corporate world, Duke and his wife decided the time was right to purchase their own grocery store.

Duke said when customers step through the front doors to Spring Street Market, they are going to receive good old fashioned customer service and personal interaction.

“We are just a family-owned business and we want to treat people like we would want to be treated,” he said.

With five meat cutters on staff, the Spring Street Market meat department is what Duke calls “the backbone of the store.”

“The first thing you have to do is you have to buy good meat to start with,” he said. “We sell angus beef, there are no additives and then our guys back there…they are meat cutters, they know what they are doing and I tell them if you wouldn’t buy it, it doesn’t go in the case.”

Overall, the store has a staff of 31 people, and Duke is quick to point out how fortunate he and his wife are to have the staff they do.

“We are very blessed, we have people that have been with us for a long, long time,” Duke said.

When it comes to challenges, Duke said the most significant thing would have to be staying competitive with the other, larger stores in the community.

“A lot of times we can’t buy as cheap as the big boys do,” he said. “We try to price it at a fair price.”

Duke said Spring Street Market has a customer base that continues to grow, and they are able to close the store every Sunday.

With more than 50 years in the grocery business, Duke said he does not have any plans to retire in the near future.

“I am an old meat man and I reckon I always will be, I have been cutting meat since I was 16 years old and I love it,” he said. “My wife, she has been in the grocery business most of her life and she loves it, we serve the community.”

Duke said he would like to thank his customers for their many years of continued support of Spring Street Market.

“People in this community have supported us and been very good to us and we try to return the favor,” he said.