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The history of Neville's Superette begins nearly 80 years
ago in 1938, over 20 years before the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge even started construction. Owned and operated by Jerry and Margaret Neville, the store was eventually sold in 1975, several years after Jerry Neville's passing. Then, in 1989 Ed Cook purchased the store from his father. Since then, Ed and his wife Wendy continued developing the store, and have worked to keep up with the ever changing times. When I finally had the opportunity to visit the store, they were at the end of creating a new entrance on the east side of the building; which has since been completed. This transformed the exterior of the building and offered a wider entrance for easier traffic going in and out of the store.
Throughout the history of the store, there have been many changes locally. At one point, there used to be a small store like Neville's on nearly every block! Additionally, big box stores started moving in and these local shops began to close one by one. Through those changes though, Neville's managed to stay relevant and continue to succeed locally. Though the big box stores offer a "one stop shop" experience that Neville's cannot compete with, Ed sees it as a positive, because many that live outside of the area travel to the Sault for the larger stores, but also stop by Neville's to get what some call the best meat in town. Neville's is a local shop through and through; they greet their customers who come through the door and begin to build relationships with repeat visits. They also go above and beyond by working to help with every customer, even with specialty and custom orders.
Neville's carries many of the products one would expect such as soda, candy, and chips. They also offer many different cuts a beef and pork (from Iowa), chicken (from Southern Michigan), and deli meats and cheeses. There are areas of the store that offer fresh produce making Neville's the perfect place to pick up what you need for meals today, or the rest of the week. Currently, Neville's employs 17 people, which means by shopping there, not only is one contributing to a local business, they are also helping give a paycheck to 17 people who live and shop within our community.
Next time you're shopping, don't forget to check out Neville's the competitive prices and quality products may surprise you! You can get more information about Neville's by not only visiting the store, but also their website at http://www.nevillesonline.com/ or on Facebook @NevillesSault.