Caseville IGA – The Amazing Memories of Our Grandparents Time

The Caseville IGA was the grocery store I remember going to in Caseville when growing up. The grandparents said it was once a bowling alley with wood floors that creaked as you walked on it. We assumed that it was true because it kinda looked like one. The smell was a unique combination of boasting chicken, suntan oil, sweat, and mustiness.

You had to take your empty pop bottles to the back, where they traveled down a conveyor belt to the deep basement. The Caseville IGA always seemed to have everything we needed for a summer weekend at the beach or an entire week with the grandparents. While it was cramped and crowded during the season, I loved it and was sorry to see it go.

Caseville IGA

Everyone referred to the store as “The IGA” or “Ig-Ah.” Those of us who grew up in Caseville sometimes still refer to the current store, even in 2022, as I-G-A, and everyone knows what we are talking about.

About IGA

J. Frank Grimes assembled a group of 100 independent shops in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Sharon, Connecticut, to form the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) in May 1926. Initially, the organization was a communal marketing system, and IGA management provided guidance in marketing and access to a continuous supply chain. After a few years, the firm launched its own canned food line.

The first reason IGAs’ success and endurance are that the firm enabled small-town grocers to compete in their markets without sacrificing their unique character. In Michigan’s Thumb, there are IGA grocers in Elkton, Port Austin, and Harbor Beach

Today, this grocery store brand operates in more than 30 countries. However, it is not a chain store. The Caseville IGA operated as a franchise but the store was owned separately from the brand. These stores are typically found in small towns, and the stores are owned by families and small businesses. At last count, there are over 25 IGA stores in Michigan. IGA is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.

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Caseville Historical Society – Have you or your family lived or vacationed in the Caseville area for many years? Then you probably have a box of old photos or postcards sitting in your basement or attic, or maybe a bundle of family letters written 50 years ago tucked in the back of an old drawer. Believe it or not, these are historical treasures!

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Michael Hardy

Michael Hardy is the owner of Thumbwind Publications LLC. Michael was born in Michigan and grew up near Caseville. In 2009 he started this fun-loving site covering Michigan's Upper Thumb. Since then, he has authored a vast range of content and established a loyal base of 60,000 visitors per month.

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One thought on “Caseville IGA – The Amazing Memories of Our Grandparents Time

  1. I remember that building in the late 1950s and early 1960s as “Vacationland” which sold T-shirts and beach toys and even boats, I think. But I was just a kid, so I wasn’t interested in buying a boat back then!

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