Roger Craig stands with his long-time employer (and cousin) Dixie Owen. The Wyatt family brought Craig in as a young man to manage the store, and he was manager when the ‘97 Flood nearly took it out. Craig’s leadership revived the store in a matter of weeks, and it has continued to thrive and to employ the community’s people into 2023
By: Sam McClanahan
It was truly the end of an era at Falmouth’s longtime family-owned grocery store, Wyatt’s Supermarket, following the retirement of store general manager Roger Craig.
Mr. Craig was hired to oversee the daily operations of the store in October of 1987, and over the course of the next 35 plus years, he would guide the business through times of prosperity, distress, the devastating flood of 1997 that tested the spirit of the entire community, and a global pandemic that changed our everyday way of life. Through it all, he remained a model of consistency whose dedication was second to none, and he always had a way of finding a resolution to each challenge no matter how big or small.
On Jan. 7, the store held a retirement ceremony for Craig and he would be greeted by numerous former employees, current customers as well as his beloved family and friends. Pendleton County Judge Executive David Fields along with District 3 Magistrate Darrin Gregg presented him with a proclamation declaring the day as “Roger Craig Day”, a deserving honor for his years of service in the community. The crowd shared stories from days gone by, enjoyed cake and other delicious snacks, and congratulated Craig on a job well done while wishing him the best going forward.
In reflection, it’s hard to calculate just how many local residents Craig hired to work at Wyatt’s during his tenure, the majority of them would be wide-eyed, inexperienced teenagers who were entering the work force for the first time during their high school days or college days. Wyatt’s has always prided itself on having a genuine, family-type atmosphere. Once you’re in there, you are always apart of it, most likely making friendships that’ll last a lifetime. Craig has hired numerous employees through the years that would go onto begin a relationship that would result in marriage. He brought his two sons, Carson and Tyler, into the store once they were old enough to work, and Roger along with his wife Jo spent countless hours through the years working on various projects in the building long after the business would close down for the night. It’s no exaggeration to say that his commitment to Wyatt’s was like a “second marriage”.
As he looks back on his run with the store, Craig says his greatest accomplishment was giving people their first start at employment and providing the opportunity for young men and women to gain helpful skills that would benefit them
throughout life.
“What I’m most proud of is knowing that so many people that I employed over the years went onto have happy lives and successful careers in all walks of life,” he said.
As for what’s next, Craig plans to stay active in the community while enjoying time with his family, especially his granddaughter. He’ll likely spend some time on the golf course, go on more adventures with his family, and venture around to take in some more ball games. He might even have time now to start on that book he’s joked about over the years, in recalling all of the humorous, bizarre, and unforgettable memories he has gained through his time at Wyatt’s.
Congratulations on a successful job well done, Roger.