The Li’l 5-0
Li’l General founder Roger Lapierre honored on 50th anniversary of his first store
WOONSOCKET — Even after 50 years, it still doesn’t feel like work to Roger Lapierre.
The 81-year-old founder of the Li’l General chain of convenience stores says his work is his passion.
“I look forward to coming to work. Everyday, it’s something new,” says Lapierre. “You’re dealing with customers.”
Through the years, Lapierre built more than a business, says Mayor Lisa Baldelli-Hunt. He’s become an exemplar of a good corporate citizen, reliably providing a service city residents need through thick and thin. He even made sure his stores were open during the Blizzard of ‘78.
And for his dedication, Baldelli-Hunt recognized Lapierre with a special proclamation this week, honoring him on the occasion of Li’l General’s semi-centennial year of operation.
“Roger has created an essential business that continues to provide a reliable grocery shopping destination,” the mayor said. “Through his exceptional work ethic, perseverance and business savvy, he has established a reputable business that Woonsocket residents heavily rely upon.”
Few enterprises or products say homegrown quite like Li’l General, a franchise-model business that’s as unique to the region – and just as beloved – as the recently-shuttered Ann & Hope in Cumberland or Stanley’s in Central Falls. Known for its homemade baked beans – they used to come in refillable ceramic beanpots – and butcher-quality meats, the venture took off unexpectedly after Lapierre opened his first store on Dec. 7, 1970, on Cumberland Hill Road.
Within the first year, there
were five stores in the city operating as Li’l General franchises. Lapierre attributes the success of the company to its focus on personalized customer service.
“We had one store, two stores, three stores, four stores and it just kept going,” says Lapierre.
At one point, there were 20 Li’l General stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, but the number now stands at seven.
What led him to this line of work?
“I needed a job,” says Lapierre.
And Lapierre didn’t have to reinvent the wheel to become his own boss. He knew the convenience store business because he’d worked for a few years at Hilltop Farms in Bellingham while he was in high school.
“That was the model,” he says. “I figured, if I’m going to start anything, it’s going to be something I’m familiar with.”
The franchisee concept was remarkably similar to that of another convenience store chain with local roots – Cumberland Farms. But Lapierre says it never occurred to him to attempt such a vast expansion.
And he doesn’t have a single regret.
“Regrets? No,” he says. “I haven’t come to work one day in 50 years, because I love this so much.”
Baldelli-Hunt presented the proclamation to Lapierre in his office at Li’l General’s corporate headquarters, in the Li’l General Plaza on Cumberland Hill Road – not far from the original location of his first store. As much as Lapierre loves mingling with customers, this is where he spends most of his socially-distanced time during the pandemic.
“My daughter doesn’t allow me in the stores,” he jokes. “She kicks me out.”