Tom's Food Market

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Tom's Food Market is a locally owned and operated chain of supermarkets in the Grand Traverse Region of Northern Michigan. The first market, Deering's Market, opened for business in 1946 at the corner of 11th and Maple Streets in Traverse City when Tom Deering (b.1908) went into the grocery business on his own after working for a period of years with another local supermarket. The business grew, the name changed to Tom's in 1953, and a second Tom's market (called West Bay Tom's) opened in a new shopping center in 1961 in Greilickville (the shopping center is now within the Traverse City city limits). When Tom Deering died in 1967, his son, Dan Deering, who went to work for his father, took over operation of the markets.

In 1968, another Tom's market opened at the corner of 14th and Division Streets in Traverse City, and the original store at 11th and Maple was closed, the building now occupied by a Salvation Army second hand store.

Tom's went through further expansion in the 1980's and 1990's. A third Tom's market opened in Acme in 1983, and a fourth was opened in leased space at Traverse City's Cherryland Mall (now Cherryland Center) in 1986 (The Cherryland store formerly was 3 other supermarkets, Kroger, Hamady Bros., and Plumb's).

In 1993, Tom's Markets purchased Dame's Grocery Store in Northport, opening the fifth Tom's, and in 1994, the sixth Tom's was opened at the East Bay Plaza where another supermarket (Giantway) had been located. In 2006, the West Bay Tom's Market building was totally rebuilt.

Over the years, Tom's Food Market has offered other items in addition to groceries, among them being cut Christmas trees each December and bulk items. Additional items available now are baked goods and deli items, both locally made by the Tom's Food Market company. The primary wholesaler for Tom's is Spartan Stores, through whom they also run advertising.^[1]

[edit] References

^ ECHLIN, BILL. "Spartan consolidating advertising", Local News, Traverse City Record-Eagle, May 30, 2001. Retrieved on 3 April 2006. "Independently owned chains that are customers of Spartan's wholesale operations in the area include Oleson's Food Stores and Tom's Food Market." "The move ... gives the Spartan group additional clout with product suppliers, said Tom's owner Dan Deering. Together ... they can offer suppliers who cut prices better display of their products in the inserts along with better display positions within the stores."

http://www.gtherald.com/2001/may/30sparta.htm