HANK AND MARGARET RETIRE

     The following appeared in The News-Standard of Coulee City, February 5, 1976.

Grocery store changes hands, Hank and Margaret will retire

     After nearly twenty three years of selling groceries in Coulee City, Henry and Margaret Taschereau are retiring.  The Taschereaus have leased the grocery store to John Asker, Soap Lake, owner of John's Thrift Store there.
     Hank and Margaret purchased the store May 3, 1953 from Mike Radak.  At the time it was known as the Red & White.  They subsequently changed the name to Taschereau's Food Center and have been in business continuously since then.
     Prior to coming to Coulee City the Taschereaus had owned and operated Texaco Service stations for twenty years, the last in Coulee Dam.
     During the years in the store several changes have come about including an extensive addition added in 1969.  They built a home next door to the store where some apartments had previously stood.  They plan on keeping their home there, the house was not included in the lease.
     Hank has been ill this winter and has spent several weeks hospitalized.  He is presently in the Soap Lake hospital.  margaret says their future plans depend on his health and recovery.  Both Hank and Margaret  have been active in community affairs and perhaps their retirement will allow them more time for this.  Although she didn't mention it, Margaret enjoys gardening and flowers and will have more time for this now.  We all wish Hank a speedy recovery and much happiness in their retirement.
     Inventory will be taken Sunday, March 7, and Asker will assume control then.  Managing the store for him will be his brother and wife, Bill and Bonnie Asker.  Bill and Bonnie have purchased the Paul Neihart home and will be moving here from Grangeville, Idaho sometime after February 15.  They have three grade school age children, two girls and a boy, Mike, Becky and Jody.
     Askers plan extensive rearranging and remodeling of the store.  According to John, they will keep the business open as much as possible during the process.  At present he plans some additions to the refrigeration department, new, more modern shelving and at least one additional cold beverage case.  The floor will be recovered and new lighting installed.
     The store will also carry prepackaged self-service meats, brought daily from the Soap Lake store.  This will be a temporary measure and a full time meat cutter will be moved in here as soon as possible.
     Bill and Bonnie Asker presently operate a variety and gift store in Grangeville.  They plan additions to the variety and dry goods department and will be bringing some stock with them

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     The following appeared about the same time in the Ephrata Journal.

Taschereaus to retire after 23 years of food business

     The first thing you might notice when you walk into the store on a Sunday morning is that it is a little dark inside.  but that is explained right away by a small sign saying that lights are turned down in order to conserve energy and "we hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone."
     The second thing that might catch your eye is the huge jade plant in the window or the stack of cardboard cards, soild by passing hands, with a wise saying typed on each.
     But the thing that will probably strike you most will be the friendly person behind the counter as she deftly tallies your purchases and quietly stacks the goods in paper bags.
     That friendly person is Mrs. Margaret Taschereau and she and her husband Hank, have owned and operated the grocery in Coulee City for nearly 23 years now.
     The Taschereaus came to Coulee City in 1953 previously living in Elmer City and Coulee Dam.  At that time the store was called the Red and White and had two competitor food stores in town.  The name was changed to Taschereau's Food Center and eventually the other two stores ceased operation.  The Taschereaus had to expand their store in order to serve the needs of the community.
     "The store's about twice its original size,"  Mrs. Taschereau said.  "We added all this back here," she added, pointing to the back half of the low ceiling room.
     "We've seen a lot of changes since we came here," Taschereau said.  "Take soap, for instance, you used to be able to buy soaps that were really soap.  Nowadays soap is hard to come by.  They all have things added to them."
     "I think one of the biggest things I've noticed," Mrs. Taschereau said, "is the cake mixes.  When we first started the store here they were just coming into being.  There was white, yellow and chocolate.  Now we've got whole shelves of them."
     The two have seen several changes in the town itself, also.
     "I think the town has brightened up quite a bit," She said. "But it is sad to say a lot of businesses are gone now.  Some buildings, like the Grand hotel and the Lee Theater are gone."
     "But it was good to get rid of some of the old buildings.  Now we have a lot of nice new houses going in," she added.
     The Taschereaus recently decided to retire and have agreed to lease the store to John Asker, Soap Lake, owner of John's Thrift Store.\
     Although their plans for the future depend on Taschereau's health, they do plan to keep their home in Coulee City and hope to continue their active participation in community affairs.

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The following comments appeared on Facebook after Connor Jorgensen posted the News-Standard article on 12 Aug 2011:

Barbara Richardson:  When Hank and Margaret had the store they closed for every funeral, she attended every "shower " with a gift and you could "charge " your groceries and pay once a month.   August 13

Carol Edgemon Hipperson:  My maternal grandmother, Ann Dorlarque, worked at the Red & White when the Radaks owned it. She retired shortly after the Taschereaus bought the store. She often spoke of how little "Sammy" Taschereau liked to play hide and seek with her in the aisles.  August 20

Marsha Neihart:   Hank would put chains on his pickup tires as soon as winter started and didn't take them off until ALL the snow was gone. You could hear those chains clunk, clunk, clunking and even noisier when there wasn't much snow on the road!  August 27.