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How did it all get started?
 How
did it all get started? Back in the late 1940s, Al Lees was a teenager
living with his parents over the family's fish market on Lees Wharf
at the Point. In March 1949, Al, and his father, Al Lees Sr., opened
a general store in a converted barn on the east side of Main Road
across from where the Santos farm is today. The business, Albert
E. Lees, Inc., sold mostly hardware, seeds, and fertilizer. In early
1951, an International Harvester outlet in Central Village went
bankrupt and was put up for sale. The Lees went to the auction expecting
only to bid on a few small items to add to their stock. When it
came time to sell the building the auctioneer had trouble coaxing
a bid from the crowd. The Lees put their heads together and made
an offer. The auctioneer shouted "Sold!" Suddenly, Al Lees and his
father owned a new store. They quickly got to work, fixing up the
place, moving in stock. In November, 1951, they held a Grand Opening.
The curious came through the door just to see what was happening.
A steady stream of customers has been coming back ever since.
 Westporters
associate Lees Supermarket with innovation. People say, "You have
to give Al Lees credit - he's never afraid to try something new."
It's risky staying out there on the cutting edge, but holding onto
customers demands creativity and a fresh approach. If something
doesn't work, as Albert Lees, Al's son, puts it, "You scrap the
idea, regroup, and try something else." The half-century long history
of Lees Supermarket is one of continuous growth and change. Lees
started out selling general merchandise; hardware, clothing, toys,
and such. No food. Throughout most of the 1950s, that's where things
stayed. Then the big discount outlets - like Ann and Hope - appeared
on the scene, with their huge inventories and rock-bottom prices.
The Lees correctly decided they could not compete. Around 1960,
the first food items - dry milk and bread -  were
introduced into the Main Road store. Other groceries soon followed.
The now famous Lees meat department began with a second-hand meat
case that measured six feet long. Gradually hammers and shoes yielded
to breakfast cereals and steak. By 1965, with Al Lees at the helm,
the transition from general merchandise to groceries was complete.
In the 1970s and 1980s Lees Supermarket continued
to grow. The building spread in all four directions, with addition
following addition - twelve times to be exact. A bakery and delicatessen
were added. The meat department dramatically enlarged. The liquor
store opened in 1981. Each of these expansions involved an element
of risk. Failure was always a possibility - success was never guaranteed.
The entire story of Lees is one of beating the odds. The conventional
wisdom predicts a super-market in Central Village cannot survive.
A feasibility study by one of the major food retail chains concluded
the demographics of the location are all out of whack; there won't
 be
enough customers; the numbers don't add up. Yet somehow Lees flourishes
year after year. How? Albert Lees pays a tribute to his namesake
when he answers, "My father's vision and determination made it happen;
without his drive nothing you see here would have been possible."
Al Lees is the first to acknowledge his success
is a team effort, involving many people. Al's son Albert has been
a major force in the business since 1990. Some of the employees
have been around so long they're like members of the Lees family:
Bill Watson, Ray Elias, Mike Hanley, Jody Cote. These and countless
others have made their contributions, from the young men shagging
carts in the parking lot, to the women stocking the coolers in the
frozen food aisle.
Finding new ways to serve the customer continued
in the 1990s. The checkout registers were computerized in 1994,
making Lees one of the first supermarkets in the country to implement
this new technology. Frequent shopper cards were introduced soon
thereafter, offering buyers discounts and savings on items available
throughout the store. Gourmet selections were added to the prepared
foods department at the deli, and parents were provided with a place
to leave their children with an attendant while they did their shopping.
On top of everything, Lees raffles off a lawn tractor or a computer
every once in a while to the delight of some lucky customer.
Community involvement and service are watchwords
of the Lees organization. Numerous local fund raising efforts have
gained from Lees' commitment to give something back to the town.
Recently, many area non-profits have participated in a register
receipt return program that supports service groups of every possible
persuasion. But community involvement means more than channeling
dollars into important local causes. It's giving countless young
Westport High School students their first real chance at a job.
It's finding space on the shelves for local products, like Macomber
turnips, hydroponic lettuce, and wine. It's providing parents the
opportunity to see their child's crayon drawing of the Easter Bunny
suspended from the ceiling. People remember things like that. They
don't forget during the Blizzard of 1978, Al Lees sent trailers
all the way to Connecticut so Westporters would be able to put food
on the table. Or how one year during the hectic holiday season,
with long lines at the check out counters, all the computers suddenly
crashed, and Lees sent everybody home with their groceries - on
the honor system. That was a neighborly thing to do. It's what Lees
is all about.
Al Lees has a business philosophy that goes
something like this. Look for ways to serve your community. Treat
people well - your suppliers, workers, and customers. Be willing
to take a chance. Try to do something you love. Work hard and everything
will turn out right. It's a philosophy that will serve Lees Supermarket
fine as the store looks ahead to its next fifty years.
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