I grew up in the suburbs of Richmond, Va. One fond memory is of a well-known Richmond institution—a family-owned chain of grocery stores called Ukrops. First opened in 1937, the stores were a regional phenomenon, known for quality products and attentive service. (You get a glimpse of their approach when you understand that their bag boys were known as “courtesy clerks” and they were required to take your groceries out to your car, no matter what the weather was like.) Their in-store delis were incredible. They became hot meeting places for people up and down the social scale. Indeed, their sandwiches were so good that many corporate executives would plan lunch meetings at the local Ukrops deli—power lunches in a grocery store! Can you imagine?

However, in my mind there was one overarching feature that stood out about the Ukrops stores: They exemplified Christian virtue. The Ukrops family were Christian people. And their Christian morals and principles carried over into how they ran their stores. The stores were clean, friendly and pleasant to be in. They did not sell alcoholic beverages. It was an annual tradition for the local newspapers to print a story about the grocery chain when the Sports Illustrated swimsuit was released—because Ukrops would not sell that particular issue. There were signs posted in their stores encouraging people to attend church. And get this, none of their stores were open on Sunday. Continue reading →