Edwards Market marks 88 years
Grocery named Business of the Month for July
Edwards Right Price Market is celebrating 88 years of serving the Fort Morgan community, as well as being named the July Business of the Month recipient.
Edwards was founded as a roadside market by Victor Edwards Sr. and it has remained a family owned and operated business ever since. Eventually, Victor Edwards Jr. tore down the market and built a complete store on the property.
The store was then passed down to Ron Edwards, who incorporated the business in 1974 and expanded its operations in 1984 with the construction of Flowerland. In 1997, he doubled the size of the grocery store to accommodate the successful growth of the business.
Ron’s daughter, Angie Edwards-Aker, continues to carry on the legacy of the family business today by managing and operating the store. She can be found helping customers and assisting employees throughout Edwards daily.
Angie and her identical twin, Andrea Kammer, grew up in Fort Morgan and could often be found at the store helping customers.
“My dad got Andrea and I going at the store,” said Angie. “We’d dead head flowers, ring people up as a cashier, carry out groceries and it would just keep us busy. In the winter he would scoop snow and we would build snow forts and things when we were younger.”
Angie went off to college and knew she wanted to go more into financial things, whereas her sister wanted to do teaching. Angie graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley in 2003 with a business management degree.
“I ended up coming home and taking over the store,” said Angie. “My dad was like okay, you’re going to work. It was right away. I graduated that weekend and that Monday I was in here working.”
Angie rotated throughout each of the departments to get a feel for ever y aspect of the store and the last area she learned was the office and handling the books and numbers. That ended up being her favorite and is why she continues to do it.
“It can be so rewarding to be able to do whatever needs to be done in the store,” said Angie. “There’s always something different, always someone new. I love getting to talk to people and help employees.”
Under her leadership, the store has been listed
by Lovefood.com as the best independent grocery store in Colorado. The Edwards family also makes sure to regularly give back to the community that has helped make their store what it is today.
“In recent years, corporate social responsibility has become more than a buzz word,” said Economic Development Specialist Sandy Schneider-Engle at the presentation of the Business of the Month.
“It is what drives a business, its mantra and its mission. We often attribute these generous acts and socially conscience deeds belonging to big businesses, but our July Business of the Month is certainly an example that a small business in a rural community in Northeastern Colorado can do this, and do it well,” said Schneider-Engle.
Over the years, the Edwards family has made sure to help those in need and to make contributions back to the community, such as the Fort Morgan Community Hospital Association, the Dahms-Talton band shell project, the expansion and beautification of Riverside Park, the city’s library and museum and much more.
They are a member of the Mustang Booster Club and support the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and the Faith 5K. Edwards also supports local FFA fundraising efforts and ag groups that host fundraisers over the holidays.
“When I first started patronizing the store, I noticed the vast collection of 4-H photos hanging on the walls showing the animals and livestock the store has purchased at fair time,” said Schneider-Engle.
The Edwards family’s spirit of giving spreads throughout the individual members of the family and their employees. Victor Edwards Jr. was a marine and fought in WWII. He also served on the Fort Morgan Volunteer Fire Department for many years and was Fire Chief from 1956-1961.
Edwards also has two full-time and five part-time employees who currently serve on the Fort Morgan Volunteer Fire Department: Fire Chief Trae Boehm, Assistant Fire Chief Dylan Prevost, 1st Captain Jeff Braun, 1st Lieutenant Erik Sagel, 2nd Lieutenant Zach Deal and Auden Rey and Chis Walker.
Ron Edwards was also a Marine and served in the Vietnam War. He even lent a hand on the Fort Morgan City Council for eight years and was mayor for two. In 1989, he received the Citizen of the Year Award honoring his service to the community of Fort Morgan.
“I feel so much pride,” said Angie. “I’m just so proud of what my grandparents have done, my great-grandparents and especially my dad. My dad was in the Marines and took this over and created Flowerland. He had the insight of what needed to be done and still found time to be a part of the Chamber of Commerce, city council and was mayor for a couple of years, all while finding time to raise us. I just have so much pride knowing my family’s history and what we have done for the community and we are still standing strong.”
While Ron has a more relaxed role nowadays, he can still be found stopping in to check on things or driving to pick up fresh peaches and corn in Palisade, Colorado. The store thrives off its loyal employees and customers alike who make everyone feel like family as soon as they walk through the door.
“Honestly the customers and the public and the employees have just made this job so rewarding, said Angie. “It’s just been really rewarding to have those relationships with everyone. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018 and the community was so welcoming and supportive of me through that. Everyone was so kind and just knowing I had that security blanket around me was awesome.”
The store continued to thrive during the COVID19 pandemic has they already offered personal shopping and delivery services to residents long before it became in vogue.
They also offer purchase discounts to senior citizens ever y day and extra discounts on Wednesday’s.
“We’ve been around for 88 plus years and the size of our business and the loyalty of our customers have kept us going strong,” said Angie. “I feel like we’ve given so much to our community they’re more than willing to give it back by continuing to shop here and keeping that loyalty, and that means so much.”
The store has passed through four generations of Edwards family members and the family hopes it will remain in the family for many years still to come.
“My oldest, Alexis, she’s always saying I want to take over the store like mommy, that’s what she wants to do,” said Angie.
Edwards Right Price Market is open Monday through Sunday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is located at 1201 East
Platte Avenue in Fort Morgan. Shoppers are welcome to shop in person, arrange for curbside pickup or have their items delivered to their door.