By Ken DeCoster
Special to the Rock River Current
Get our mobile app
ROCKFORD — The surviving link in what was a chain of independent local grocery stores is under new ownership.
Gray’s Foods, 1630 N. Alpine Road, has been sold by the Gray family to Atlas Foods, a management company owned and operated by brothers Siddiq and Zeeshan Ahmed of suburban Chicago.
Under terms of the deal, which was finalized Monday, the store will continue to operate as Gray’s Foods. Former store owner Jeff Gray will function as a consultant during the transition, according to Atlas Foods managing partner Siddiq Ahmed.
“We want to walk in the footsteps of Jeff Gray,” Ahmed said. “The reception has been wonderful. The customers and the store employees have welcomed us.”
More news: New management aims to reinvigorate banquet operations at former Cliffbreakers in Rockford
Gray’s Foods is a neighborhood grocery store specializing in meat, produce, deli and bakery items. It has anchored the Highcrest Centre on the city’s northeast side since 1984.
The retro atmosphere features ornate lettering on the walls marking the store’s departments. A chandelier hangs in the midst of the 18,000-square-foot business.
Gray’s parents, Cliff and Joan, founded the family grocery business in 1968 when they opened a store at 5315 Auburn Street as part of the Independent Grocers Alliance. Cliff is now 93 and Joan is 89.
Jeff Gray was introduced to the business at age 11.
“I stocked shelves, sorted bottles and bagged groceries. All the things my dad could trust an 11-year-old with,” he said. “My father grew up in Rockford and loved Rockford. He wanted to use his talents to bring (grocery) stores to areas that needed them.”
Gray met his future wife, Deb, when she worked as a 15-year-old cashier at Gray’s Broadway store in 1974.
The family business expanded to include a second location on Auburn Street and stores on South Main Street, Sandy Hollow Road, Broadway, College Avenue and North Second Street.
More news: Drewelow’s House of Books opens new location designed to be cozy second home for Rockford readers
Six Gray’s stores were open in the area as recently as 2008, but the number was reduced to one after the Broadway location was sold in 2018.
The sale of the Gray’s Foods store on North Alpine marks the first time in 55 years that the Gray family is out of the grocery business.
“It was a lot of work but it was worth it,” Gray said. “We developed relationships with customers and employees that I feel are unmatched. I’m forever grateful.”
Gray’s Foods in the Highcrest Centre will continue to operate seven days a week from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. Ahmed is hopeful the store’s 60 full-time and part-time employees will stay on the job.
“They have been with the company for so long and they know what they are doing,” he said. “They know the customers as well, so that’s a good thing.”
The new owners will continue to offer the familiar brand name products sold at Gray’s Foods for years.
The store’s longstanding policy against selling cigarettes and chewing tobacco may be revised.
According to Ahmed, Atlas Foods obtained a license to sell tobacco products at Gray’s Foods but hasn’t decided whether to proceed in that direction. The company has no plans at this time to sell alcohol at the store, Ahmed said.
Longtime Gray’s Foods customers are thankful the store will continue to operate under new ownership.
“I shop here for the produce and the Boar’s Head meat,” said Bill Schmeltzer of Rockford. “This store is a very important part of the neighborhood.”
Tim Fredrickson of Rockford stopped by Gray’s Foods on Wednesday to pick up a few items for his wife.
“The store is so well run,” Fredrickson said. “The deli and the bakery offer fresh items every day. I’m thankful that the new owners are committed to maintaining the quality. It’s a jewel in this area.”
Ahmed said Atlas Foods most recently owned and operated a grocery store in the Chicago suburb of Morton Grove and sold the business in 2022.
More news: What are the best places to capture fall photos? Here’s what Rockford-area photographers say
The purchase of Gray’s Foods in Rockford was negotiated through a broker and took about six weeks to complete, he said.
“The store has been here for years. That’s the first thing,” Ahmed said. “The customers are all loyal. They feel like they’re being taken care of by one of their family members. We will take suggestions from customers as to how we can better serve their needs.”
Ken DeCoster is a veteran journalist writing as a freelance correspondent for the Rock River Current. Email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.