Mac’s Super Saver Sold After 42 Years of Family Ownership
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By Emily Bontrager
For 42 years, Mac’s Super Saver has been a staple in the community. Mac’s Super Saver was owned and operated by Barb and Greg “Mac” McVeigh, who also co-owned a grocery store in LaGrange, Missouri.
The family-owned grocery store opened in Kahoka, Missouri, on June 22, 1982. The McVeighs had a lot of experience in the retail food industry and decided Kahoka was a great spot to open a new store.
In the Clark County Media’s June 23, 1982, issue, an article was written about the grocery store opening.
According to the article, “The McVeighs purchased the property formerly owned by Delbert Huckey and on which the Kahoka Body Shop and the Clark County Ambulance service were located. A 7,500-square-foot metal and wood-frame building was added to the existing structures, which also underwent remodeling.”
When Mac’s Super Saver first opened, the business had 11 full- and part-time employees.
Greg and Barb served the community faithfully for many years. In 2016, Greg McVeigh passed away, and his son, Kevin McVeigh, took over the store with his mother, Barb.
Kevin, 49, grew up in Mac’s Super Saver and has many fond memories of the store. He was just a young boy when his parents opened it in 1982.
“I grew up in here. At seven years old, I was helping stock shelves and falling asleep on the shelves,” McVeigh recalled.
“My uncle was the contractor who did all the building for the addition. I didn’t help a lot then, but when we built the bakery-deli in 1989, that summer I actually helped bend a bunch of the nails.”
Kevin and his wife, Julie, live in Taylor, Missouri, and they have two daughters, Kaylee and Jenna. He graduated from Clark County High School and then attended Quincy University. Kevin then worked for Walmart as an assistant manager and worked at K’s Merchandise before returning to the family business.
Over the years, there have been many challenges for small-town grocery stores across the United States.
“People now find the ease of shopping online and the ease of going to another city to buy groceries. Every time they leave town and say, ‘Well, I am going to save 10 cents,’ that’s 10 cents that isn’t being spent here in town. That’s 10 cents that isn’t going to help the high school or community. They go to Walmart or Aldi, and that is killing small-town stores,” McVeigh said.
One of the reasons Kevin is selling the family business is the cost of keeping the store open.
“Financially, I had to make a decision to either close or sell. I found someone to buy, which kept 20 people employed in Clark County,” McVeigh explained.
“Even though it’s an outside group that owns this, they aren’t really changing anything. Local people will still be running it.”
The thing Kevin will miss the most about the grocery store is the loyal customers who have supported the family business for many years.
“I love my customers. I enjoy seeing them, and a lot of these people I went to school with, or they watched me grow up in this little store,” McVeigh said.
Kevin is helping the new owners transition into taking over the business. After the transition, Kevin plans to focus on his T-shirt and embroidery business.
“I have a couple of other ideas, and I have 10 years of ‘honey-dos’ at home to get done,” McVeigh said.
Kevin hopes people continue to shop at Mac’s to support both the store and the new owners.
On Sept. 1, 2024, Mac’s Super Saver was officially sold to an LLC group. The three partners, Farjad “Freddie” Khan, Ajay, and Nasir, own about 20 other stores, including convenience stores, gas stations, and grocery stores. Ajay and Nasir have around 25 years of experience in the retail food industry.
Freddie will oversee Mac’s Super Saver for a few months as the business transitions to new ownership. Freddie, 29, is from Chicago and recently graduated from the University of Illinois with a master’s degree in information systems. Always wanting the opportunity to learn how to run different businesses, Freddie partnered with Ajay and Nasir.
“This is like a side hustle I started just to get to know about the business and how things work. I got a good opportunity working with these people who have been in the business for quite a time,” Khan explained.
He is excited to work with the current employees at Mac’s and to keep the small-town grocery store open.
“People here are more united because they know each other. Kahoka is more peaceful, and there are no crimes I have seen. People are honest workers here, so it’s easier to run the business in such places where you don’t have to worry about things like that,” Khan stated.
Freddie believes small grocery stores are vital to small-town communities. The new owners do not plan to make any major changes to the store. The grocery store will also keep its name.
“We don’t want to change operations. Everything that was going through management will remain the same,” Khan explained.
“But I will try to bring in some ideas where we can grow the business, see where the loopholes are, and work on that.”
According to Freddie, Lisa Fowler will manage Mac’s Super Saver.
“Lisa has experience, and she has been working for almost 22 years. The insights she has, I don’t have. I’m also learning from her, and she is so helpful with everything,” Khan said.
Freddie wants to assure customers that Mac’s will continue to serve the community as it has in the past, and he hopes everyone will continue to support the grocery store.
“We just need the support it had before in the community. Community is what makes it work,” Khan said.
“If there are any suggestions or anything that needs to be changed, we are open to suggestions from the people because they can give better insights.”
Mac’s Super Saver is located at 436 E. Main St. in Kahoka, Missouri.
Remember to shop locally and support all local businesses in the community.
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