The past, present and future of St. Charles' Blue Goose Market

There was a time more than 80 years ago when Blue Goose was the perfect fruit stand along Main Street in a small, rural St. Charles.

It would grow in size and within the pulse rate of the community as years passed.

There was a time, many years later, when the Blue Goose Market name and brand was so strong, the Lencioni family considered building a second store in Elburn or Geneva along Fabyan Parkway, east of Kirk Road.

That type of expansion did not occur, but it was fun to think about.

There was a time when downtown merchants rallied around the notion that a new Jewel on the east side of St. Charles would damage business for Blue Goose and, thus, for their own businesses because shoppers would not be in the downtown area.

They were able to stop the project at that time, but area growth and consumer demand brought plenty of other competition in later years. The Blue Goose's answer to that was to become bigger and more modern by moving from Illinois Street to become a major part of a First Street redevelopment project.

And there was a time, as in two weeks ago, when store manager Paul Lencioni had to make a public plea for more customers to step forward and save the historic Blue Goose from potentially closing.

The plea for help worked in the days after Lencioni's social media announcement and its subsequent newspaper coverage. People and area businesses came out to support the store, a gesture that they understood the importance of Blue Goose's longevity and its role in the community. It lifted Lencioni's spirits and he planned an open meeting at the store Thursday, Aug. 1, to further exchange ideas.

This was good news, but for now it is a bit too much like a blood drive replenishing supplies for the short-term. Still, the underlying message in Lencioni's plea is fairly simple to figure out and should remain the focus: Blue Goose needs young shoppers to become loyal customers.

We went to Blue Goose often when we lived near it because that is what my wife's family did and the habit was simply passed down. For good reason, I might add. The store has tremendous bakery goods, produce and meat.

In today's Tri-Cities, and St. Charles specifically, young people likely don't have parents instilling the Blue Goose Market habit upon them. Blue Goose has to nurture that in different ways.

In the future, possibly soon, one of two things will happen. The momentum of the call for help may subside and the store will face tough decisions, or it will serve as the launchpad for more business and an era of new customers.

Lencioni's pitch to the community was sincere. And he's receiving lots of thoughts and feedback for doing so.

My opinion, or that of others, that the city losing its connection to Blue Goose would be a tough pill to swallow doesn't do a whole lot to sway things one way or another. Ultimately, people vote with their pocketbooks at grocery stores.

And the younger generation will have the money in those pocketbooks to keep Blue Goose afloat for years to come.

The next steps will be critical. Does Blue Goose move toward modern digital payments and delivery services via mobile apps? Does it trim payroll and lower prices, or make sure more people are aware they offer plenty of deals online?

Would the return on those kinds of investments pay off, or would they be the final blows for the store if they didn't work?

The store has historic roots, but it also could appeal to millennial shoppers because of its product quality, interior design and recent addition of wine tastings.

As much as anything else, the store has to attract young shoppers. And therein lies the fork in the road for Blue Goose Market.

All in a name:

Gaetano's restaurant in downtown Batavia this week celebrated its fifth year of business, but it won't go by that name anymore.

The Italian and seafood restaurant hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for owner Wendy Reed to showcase the new name of Verita.

Reed has been operating the restaurant since 2017, when Gaetano DiBennedetto left the business.

The new name is Italian for "truth." In a statement to media last week, Reed said the new name reflects her beliefs personally and in the food at Verita.

The restaurant will offer some new menu items, but the executive chef, manager and most of the original staff remains, Reed said.

Elderday reopens doors:

In what is certainly good news for families struggling with a loved one dealing with memory impairment, the recently closed Elderday Center in Batavia is reopening.

The care program has operated out of the Bethany Ministry Center since 2003, and it turned out to be only a temporary closing since late May. It was planning a reopening Friday, Aug. 2.

As reported in the Daily Herald last week, new executive director Michael Cobb sounds excited about bringing the program back to the community and expressed a desire to market it more heavily to drive more awareness.

The center will offer half-day programs twice a week in August, then three days a week in September.

The program offers arts and crafts, exercise, pet and music therapy, and field trips for clients.

Great on, off field:

The kind words and thoughts flowed heavily last week after the passing of Marcia Ford, a longtime St. Charles School District 303 teacher and a favorite of the national champion Fox Valley Lassies softball team that she and her husband helped create.

Not having attended St. Charles schools, my recollections of Marcia are focused mostly on what she and her late husband Glenn did to build and promote the greatest women's 12-inch slowpitch softball team this area has ever known.

Marcia pitched for the Lassies for years before handing that task to the late Deb Keller. No matter who was on the mound for this team, they were really hard to beat.

It made for great stories for my early years as a sports editor in the Tri-Cities, and it was also great for getting to know some of the most interesting personalities and most devoted athletes I ever met.

The Fords and all of the sponsors and fans they cultivated for this group of women remains a bright spot in the area's sports history.

dheun@sbcglobal.net