R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press At Sav-Mor in Escanaba, Matt Frizzell prepares cheeseburgers that will go into the hot box. Burger patties are handmade in the grocery’s meat department before being brought up front and cooked on the grill. Hot food is available at the Stephenson Avenue grocery at lunchtime daily.

EDITOR NOTE: The Daily Press will be featuring a series of articles on local businesses, highlighting their history and what makes them unique. The series will run on a regular basis in the Daily Press.

— — — ESCANABA — Sav-Mor, at the corner of Stephenson Avenue and 2nd Avenue North in Escanaba, is an independent grocery store known for its homemade food items, meat, beverage selection, deli and salad bar. The store has been locally-owned since it opened in the 1940s, and though it no longer belongs to the Independent Grocers Alliance, “IGA” remains on the sign, and it’s how many locals refer to the place.

In May of 1949, Casimir “Cash” Milkiewicz held a grand opening for the Sav-Mor Cash Market at 306 Stephenson Ave. Cash had graduated from Escanaba High School in 1936 after being on the honor roll and playing violin in the school orchestra. He then accumulated 12 years of experience in the grocery business, working at the Cashway stores in Rapid River and Gwinn, and then managing the Red Owl in Pulaski, Wis. before moving back to Esky to open Sav-Mor, according to Daily Press records from the time.

In 1951, the name of the grocery had elevated to Sav-Mor Super Market.

By 1952, Milkiewicz’s store had joined the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) and appeared in joint advertisements alongside other IGA stores in Escanaba, Gladstone, Danforth, Garden, Thompson, St. Nicholas and Watson. The now-international IGA, founded in 1926, offers its branded products, marketing and other resources to independently-owned grocery stores that pay for membership.

An article from 1954 detailed the store’s expansion and Cash’s innovations.

“The place is, indeed, a far cry from the tiny 30×35 building he took over a few years ago,” the article reads. “It wasn’t long before the opportunity came to acquire (his mother’s) store property next door. the intervening walls were knocked down, windows were merged, and in and out entrances were set at advantageous positions. The old-fashioned counters were discarded, and self-service, with a checker at the doorway, were introduced. ‘And boy, did the people like it,’ said Cash. A store of that kind was new in that part of the city…”

Cash was also quoting as saying that advertising was a successful method to growing the business, calling it a worthwhile investment.

The Milkiewicz family — Casimir and his wife and four sons — lived in quarters above the store.

Cash’s son, David, got involved with the business when he was older. For a while, two Sav-Mors were in operation in the area: there was the one at 306 Stephenson and also Dave’s Sav-Mor IGA, which was in Danforth “next to the Hilltop Drive-In Theater,” as a 1985 advertisement read.

In 2003, Rick and Patty Kobasic bought the Stephenson store from Dave Milkiewicz. While Sav-Mor had long had a history of fresh food in addition to packaged products on the shelves, the Kobasics added some recipes that are still beloved by regular customers.

“They had their meat pies that they were famous for. Same with their pasties — Angeline’s meat pies and pasties,” said Chris Carter, who purchased the grocery from the Kobasics in 2018. He explained that Angeline, Rick’s mother, had worked in the store, and that her recipes had been passed down.

“Most of the sausages that we do in-house in the meat department, that’s all their family’s recipes as well,” Carter said. “I’ve added a few different sausages, but the staple ones — like the brats, Italian pork sausage and stuff like that — they sold a lot of it, so I just kept the same recipe.”

He remarked that the business plan and the existing recipes had been excellent, and there was little need for great changes. Carter said he wants to keep the strong traditions going, but maybe “just add a little bit of a twist.”

They’ve modernized and revamped a few things. New doors and windows went in. Carter added a beer cave and has expanded the product lines in certain areas. He noted that he’s already seen some trends rise and fall; for example, India pale ales (IPAs, a style of beer) were very popular a few years ago, and while Sav-Mor still carries and sells a lot of craft brews, ready-to-drink canned cocktails have become more popular recently. Non-alcoholic brews have also gained traction.

In addition to a few new sausages and other fresh meat and deli recipes, Carter’s own family recipe has entered the store.

Bushey Meats, which used to operate in Soo Hill, was owned and operated by Carter’s step-grandfather, Joe Bushey. Today, Sav-Mor sells Bushey’s Seasonings, and it’s an option for customers ordering custom cuts from the meat department.

Something that sets Sav-Mor apart from other groceries is the made-from-scratch salads, breads, desserts, cold sandwiches and entrees. Carter also added a salad bar in 2019, which was in response to a recognized demand for healthier options — a general trend in recent years. Carter said that he regularly brings in new items, listens to customers and often obliges their requests for certain products.

Lunch is the most popular time of day at Sav-Mor, as many customers visit for both hot and cold meal options. A special rotates daily, offering patrons discounted meals that include a hot dish, fountain pop and chips.

Other entrees, breakfasts and side dishes are also sold daily.The store also provides catering for events.

Sav-Mor’s IGA membership was discontinued after the previous wholesale grocery supplier the store had used — which provided a lot of IGA products — went out of business, Carter said.

“The new company that I went with had said they were going to get a bunch of IGA stuff, because they had taken over a lot of these IGA stores … and they just never took on hardly any products,” Carter explained. “So I ended up paying fees for product I couldn’t really get.”

The red signs still remain, and many people still know the store at 306 Stephenson as IGA, but it would be properly referred to as just Sav-Mor.

The local grocery is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday.