An Ideal focus

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By the Lincoln Journal Star

It was as if Margot Peterson had never left.

The Lincoln piano teacher returned to Ideal Grocery & Market last month after shopping at another store for nine years.

She’d had a nearly 20-year history with the store, but quit going there when she moved to the northeast side of town and it just wasn’t convenient enough.

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Paula Rhian (left) waits to pay her grocery bill while Jane Schuette rings her up and Pete Moore sacks. Rhian said she shops at Ideal once a week. She likes that they bag it and carry it to the car and "because I can get the exact amount of meat I want." (William Lauer)

Paula Rhian (left) waits to pay her grocery bill while Jane Schuette rings her up and Pete Moore sacks. Rhian said she shops at Ideal once a week. She likes that they bag it and carry it to the car and "because I can get the exact amount of meat I want." (William Lauer)

But now she’s back, and quite glad.

“I couldn’t handle all the noise, the loud speakers and loud music,” she said of her other grocery. “I didn’t need that, so I went back to my Ideal.”

No sooner did she walk through the door when a chorus of  “hellos,” “how are yous”and “glad to see you agains” greeted her.

“They all remembered me,” she said. “They talked to me and asked if I needed any help. Some things were different than it used to be, but not much.”

 Indeed, Ideal’s attention to customer service hasn’t changed since Gardner Moore opened the store at 905 S. 27th St. in 1920.

It’s safe to say it’s a 27th Street institution of sorts.

“It’s just the personal services and personal touches,” said Doug Dakan, one of Ideal’s eight partners. “A person can come up with numerous reasons why they shop at Ideal. The fact is, it’s the people they see here.”

People like Dakan, who’s been with the story for 32 years, and Jim and Tom Moore, who continue their grandfather’s legacy by working there.

“We feel like we’ve found a good niche,” Jim Moore said. “We’ve evolved into something different (for Lincoln).”

Ideal is unique, from its hours  — it closes at 6 p.m. and doesn’t open on Sundays, except in December — to its products. Shoppers will be hard-pressed to find cookies from the German food company Bahlsen anywhere else in Lincoln.

Over the years, Ideal has built a reputation for its:

n Meat department, with cuts not wrapped but sitting in view for customers to peruse

n Deli, with an extensive assortment of meats and cheeses

n Produce, with employees weighing and bagging many of the fruits and veggies for shoppers

n And, of course, its customer service

Which is why John F. Boomer and his wife, Lynn, have been regular customers since moving back to Lincoln in 1994.

“We know the staff so well, we’ve become friends with them,” John Boomer said. “We look forward to our weekly visits with them.

“Ideal is a great place,” he added. “Lincoln is lucky to have it.”

Reach Jeff Korbelik at 473-7213 or jkorbelik@journalstar.com.