The Kowalski Family Celebrates 40 Years in White Bear Lake

Kris Kowalski Christiansen and Mary Anne Kowalski. Photo: Chris Emeott

If you ask any Twin Citian to free-associate with the words “grocery store” or “supermarket,” there are likely just a few names that come up—and perhaps only one that truly captures the essence of the small, neighborhood grocer in a world where that paradigm is quickly disappearing.

The Kowalski family has operated grocery stores in the Metro since 1983, when founders Jim and Mary Anne Kowalski purchased their first Red Owl franchise on St. Paul’s Grand Avenue. Jim, who passed away in 2013, had worked for Red Owl corporate since 1978. “We decided to do this together,” Mary Anne says. “I quit my counseling job, we got a loan from a friend, and we used all of our savings and bought the store.” The couple had both grown up in St. Paul, so opening a market on Grand was “like coming home,” Mary Anne says. “We knew we were going to be a small, neighborhood-oriented grocer. That meant we needed to figure out what the neighborhood wanted.” They held their inaugural consumer group meeting—something they still do today—on their front porch in St. Paul and asked the neighbors what they’d like to see in the market. “They suggested taking the candy out of one of the checkout lanes so the kids wouldn’t start grabbing it,” Mary Anne remembers. “So we did those things—those small details.”

The couple purchased their second store—a Red Owl franchise in White Bear Lake—in 1985. Over the next year or so, they remodeled it, turning it into a prototype for what Kowalski’s Markets would be and adding the Kowalski name. “We knew we couldn’t compete with the big-box stores, so we needed to be something different,” Mary Anne says. “It really became a specialty market.”

The Kowalskis’ daughter, Kris Kowalski Christiansen, who’s now the company’s CEO, explains the “Kowalski makeover.” “We aesthetically changed the grocery shopping experience, so it was focused on comfort and beauty,” Christiansen says. “We took out the fluorescent lighting. We added the stone arches. We wanted people to be excited to grocery shop.”

They hired directors for all of the departments, folks who knew their stuff about cheese, meat, veggies and more, making Kowalski’s Markets a place where neighbors could go when they needed high-quality produce or guidance on choosing steaks for a cookout.

Since the beginning, Kowalski’s Markets has focused on bringing comfort and beauty to the shopping experience. Starting with the White Bear Lake location, the Kowalskis added stone arches and removed flourescent lighting—all while prioritizing high-quality, specialty products.

The White Bear Lake market, still in its original location on Lake Avenue, has become a cornerstone of the neighborhood. “We actually moved to White Bear shortly after we opened the store, because we loved it out here,” Mary Anne says. She and Jim spent many happy years in White Bear Lake, and now she lives nearby in North Oaks, where she’s just a few minutes from Christiansen and her kids—a grandmother’s dream.

Christiansen officially joined the family business in 1990 after she’d already started her career in a different field. “I loved my parents so much, and I respected them,” she says. “They took me out to lunch while I was still at my other job and asked if I would give them three years to learn the business.” The rest is history. Christiansen worked her way through all aspects of the company. “I worked in the accounting department, in HR. I have experience in store management. I’ve done customer service and worked in the deli,” she says. “I’ve had my feet in all the areas.”

She remembers her initial nerves about taking on a bigger role in the company. “Growing up, I’d gone to meetings with my parents, and I was completely intimidated,” Christiansen says. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to do that, but now I’m CEO, and, of course, I have a lot of meetings. I love them, and they’re fun!”

Jim, Kris and Mary Anne in 1995, shortly after Kris joined the family business.

For the past 12 years, Christiansen and her mom have made a dynamic duo. “It’s been a journey and a pleasure to run alongside my parents and keep the company moving and growing,” Christiansen says. “After my dad passed away, my mom and I just locked arms and continued everything we knew how to do.”

In particular, they wanted to carry forward Kowalski’s Markets’ focus on community and giving back. “We’re what we call a ‘civic business,’” Christiansen says. “It’s about democracy and showing people they have power and to help them learn to use that power for the common good.” Their employees—whom they refer to as stakeholders—learn even in entry-level training that they can share their ideas for improvements and be a force for positivity in the workplace. The company also gives generously to many nonprofits; each store focuses on local causes in its respective neighborhood.

“Employees are encouraged to help set policies that are good for the whole,” Tim Fortier, a longtime employee, says. “What sets us apart in the industry … is how Kowalski’s is operated.”

Fortier is a Kowalski’s success story. He started bagging groceries at the White Bear Lake store in 1988 when he was just 16. “After a few months of employment, I was given the opportunity to work in the produce department,” Fortier says. “This was a good fit for me, and I spent the next 37 years [there], going from a part-time, high school job to the one I would raise my family with.” More recently, Fortier shifted gears to a less physically demanding position—he’s now the White Bear Lake store manager.

“Our employee base is our golden ticket,” Mary Anne says. “They’re amazing people. Our training includes a leadership program that teaches people how to lead, no matter where they are or what they’re doing in the world.”

In tandem with exceptional employees, the quality of Kowalski’s Markets products sets them apart. In the early years, when Jim and Mary Anne knew they didn’t want to compete with big-box stores, they went all-in on specialty products. “We opened our own bakery. We opened our own production kitchen where we make all of our salads. We have a smokehouse where we make all of our value-added meats,” Mary Anne says. A team from Kowalski’s Markets visits every production facility with which they partner, from cattle ranches in the West to fisheries in Alaska. They also carry products from many small-scale, local producers, like baked goods, cured meats and preserves.

“We’ve never strayed from what our brand is,” Christiansen says. “Sometimes, that’s a little uncomfortable because we’re a higher-end and higher-priced store, but that’s who we are. That’s what we’re committed to. And I think our customers appreciate that—they trust us.”

Kowalski’s Markets
Facebook: Kowalski’s White Bear Lake