One of the unique things about Piedmont Grocery is that we tend to have employees who stay with us for a while. It’s a good thing, and we are the company that we are because of it. There are customers that we have watched grow up—and vice versa. This Friday, after almost 40 years of service, one of our long time and most well known employees is retiring and it’s going to be so strange without him.

Change is never easy. I had just turned 8 years old when we hired Kevin Weaver. There has never been a time in my memory of the store when Kevin wasn’t there. And, Kevin is definitely memorable. The dude is like 6 foot 5 and has rocked a mullet for most of his life. (And don’t get me started on his love of Disco…) But it is his smile and ability to not take himself too seriously that has endeared him to his fellow employees as well as countless vendors and sales reps.

Since I came on board officially seventeen years ago, I have had the opportunity to attend numerous food shows with Kevin. We would walk the aisles together looking for the latest and greatest. My job was to explain how to use some of the trendy products we saw to Mr. Meat and Potatoes and his job was to tease me about my trendy foodiness and to introduce me to people he had been doing business with for decades. It didn’t take long for me to see that Kevin was a bit of a rock star among those who did business with him. His reputation preceded him as we made our way from booth to booth. And, it was amazing to see, though it made for a much longer day.

Customers had the same reaction. Whether he was in the aisles talking basketball, Oklahoma football or running in the Piedmont Turkey Trot, it has always been apparent that Kevin just has a way with people.

We will all miss having him around. For me personally, I will miss his role as a teacher. Kevin has taught me a lot during the time we have been working together. I may have a good understanding of current food trends and the habits of the younger generation, but I am certainly smart enough to know I don’t know everything. Kevin has been there and done that—and has shown commendable patience while I got up to speed. And, I mean, it can’t be easy to be told what to do by someone with pigtails and skinned knees who used to pester you when she was twelve.

Kevin, thank you for everything you have done and given to Piedmont Grocery, to your coworkers, and to our community. You will definitely be missed, but we wish you well on your new adventure. And, we are confident that we are better people for having had the opportunity to know you during these past forty years. Congratulations! And, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

This Friday, because we can’t throw a big party like we usually do due to the pandemic, we will be shutting the store down from 11 AM to 1 PM so that we can give Kevin, perhaps not the send off he really deserves, but the knowledge that we appreciate him, will miss him, and love him like family.