Ukrop's says thank you for 73 wonderful years

In what must be one of Ukrop's last ads in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the family dedicated the entire back page to remember and thank the Richmond community for welcoming them into their kitchens for 73 years.

As the final Ukrop's stores transform into Martin's, the supermarket many of us grew up with is closing but the family has fond memories and reminds that they will be around still baking and cooking some of the best from the Ukrop's kitchens.

Their farewell letter:

Thank you for 73 years of wonderful memories!

Our family is grateful for the thoughtful letters, cards, and good wishes shared since our announcement. The outpouring of affection has been overwhelming and is very much appreciated.

Now that the transitions are almost complete, we hope you are please to see that MARTIN'S is already making a visible impact in our community through sponsorships and donations. It has delivered on its commitment -- to bring terrific prices -- to all the same store locations -- with the same friendly associates -- serving your same favorite Ukrop's kitchen and bakery items.

Since food is our passion, we will continue to operate our kitchen and bakery. Associates are hard at work -- cooking and baking the items pictured here with an even greater sense of purpose. Whether it's White House Rolls, Chicken Salad, or Birthday Cakes, you can continue to count on us to help you create memories by preparing fresh, convenient, and delicious food for your family for man years to come.

Thanks again for your support. It has been and will always be a pleasure to serve you!

The Ukrop Family

Full color photos accompanied the letter, pictures of ham biscuits, birthday cakes, ready-made dinner meals, chicken salad on a White House roll, chocolate fudge pie, chocolate layer bar cake, and more.

I haven't been around for 73 years but I can certainly thank the Ukrop family not only for their clean, service-oriented grocery stores (I've written previously about those) but also their presence in the community, their charitable donations, their open door to just about any group that asked for help, and their willingness to be part of the community.

Those Ukrop's paper grocery bags have been a part of our home most of my life ... we even made book covers out of them while I was in school.

Here's a heart-felt "thank you" to the family. We look forward to continuing to support Ukrop's food products and gracing our tables with chicken salad and White House rolls!