Located just a few kilometers away from the GRCA’s Conestogo Lake and just steps away from the Drayton Festival Theatre, the Drayton Food Market has proven to be a convenient yet worthwhile way for Mapleton residents, cottagers and visitors alike to shop local.
Following in the footsteps of her father, a successful grocer for 47 years, Deb Ramage seized the opportunity to join in the family business. Having grown up and worked in the business, Ramage decided it was the perfect time in her life to pursue a grocers’ career. So on March 14, 2011 she took ownership of the Drayton Food Market.
From the beginning Ramage’s main goal for Drayton Food Market has beeen to offer a wide variety of food products at competitive prices to Mapleton residents – thus saving them time and money by avoiding a drive out of town for groceries.
“It’s important for me to ensure that each customer is successful in finding what they are looking for,” said Ramage, who has expanded her selection by adding a “gluten free” section for patrons with health concerns, as well as wide variety of diabetic products. She has also been aggressive in broadening the variety of products available at her store and has, in essence, brought the city to the country when it comes to small town shopping.
One only has to walk through the front doors to see the Drayton Food Market prides itself in offering fresh, locally-grown meats and produce. The store boasts an in-store meat manager and offers specialized cuts of meats, not to mention a full bakery and deli section. A daily homemade hot meal lunch special, as well as Chester’s Rotisserie Chicken and potatoes wedges, meet well with everyone’s busy schedule and, for those special occasions, party trays are available on order.
Ramage lives in Elora with her two children Alexis, 20, and Noah, 16, but regardless of where she lives, her commitment to Mapleton has stood out from day one.
“Having grown up in a small town I recognize that it is vital for local businesses to invest and partner with community projects and charities,” said Ramage. She supports Drayton Minor Hockey, The Drayton Kinsmen, the Minto Minnows Swim Team and North Wellington’s Big Brother/Sister program by supplying the food, barbecue and parking lot for fundraising barbecues. She also supports local school initiatives such as the Moorefield Optimists’ “Shop with a Cop” food bank drive, and donates money to area churches for a variety of mission team efforts, in addition to many more worthwhile community enterprises, including the Drayton Agriculture Society’s annual fair and local Canada Day celebrations.
Ramage is also very proud of her staff of 30 employees, saying, “Their commitment to customer satisfaction has helped to make the store such a success. We pack your groceries for you and offer carry-out service if required.”
Phone orders and delivery service for seniors and shut-ins is also available on a weekly basis. Ramage said with a smile that more and more residents are staying in town to do their groceries. That being said, Ramage also expresses a deep gratitude to her father, Merlen Kropf, for the store’s progress, and for sharing his years of experience (since 1965) and know-how in growing the business. In fact, she notes that each week the store has topped the previous year’s revenues on a weekly basis.
Ramage has a vision for the Drayton Food Market, which includes the dream of adding a plaza to its current location. It is this visionary process that has already earned her two awards from the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers.
Ramage has added to and enhanced the recent grass roots movement of buying and selling locally through Drayton Food Market by ensuring all shelves are fully stocked and that store hours reflect current customer demands. With the exception of any religious holidays (so staff can enjoy that with their families), they are open weekdays 8am to 9pm, Saturdays 8am to 6pm and Sundays 11am to 5pm. The Drayton Food Market is located at 90 Wellington St. (County Road 11) in Drayton.
