Riediger’s Supermarket
Traces of an earlier era of independent grocery stores dot the landscape of Winnipeg. Riediger’s Supermarket was one such store, catering to a Mennonite clientele in the North End since 1937. Their story reflects the changes in the retail grocery business in Manitoba over the last century.
Episode Transcript
EPISODE CREDITS:
Written and narrated by Janis Thiessen
Produced by Kent Davies
Interview participants: Betty Riediger, Ken Riediger
Hosted by Kent Davies and Janis Thiessen
Episode image: Google Streetview, 188 Isabel, June 2009.
Theme music: Robert Kenning
INTERVIEWS
Betty Riediger interviewed by Janis Thiessen, April 13, 2016 in Winnipeg, MB. Digital Audio Recording. Convenience Stores and Independent Grocers Project, Oral History Centre Archive, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB.
Ken Riediger, interviewed by Sarah Story, May 19, 2016 in Winnipeg, MB. Digital Audio Recording. Convenience Stores and Independent Grocers Project, Oral History Centre Archive, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, MB.
MUSIC
Chad Crouch – Daybreak, Marigold, Tennessee
Podington Bear – Grapefruit, Button Mushrooms, Lazy River
Henry Burr, Peerless Quartet. "Cows may come, cows may go, but the bull goes on forever." 1915, OCLC number: 759591693
SOURCES
Cassidy, Christian. “Entrepreneur founded an empire.” Winnipeg Free Press (9 October 2016).
-- “Last chance to shop Riediger’s.” West End Dumplings blog post (13 January 2012).
-- “Old Market Square.” Heritage Winnipeg blog post (19 June 2019).
-- “Safeway in Winnipeg Part 1 – Setting Up Shop.” West End Dumplings blog post (17 March 2010).
Goldsborough, Gordon. “Memorable Manitobans: David Anderson Ritchie (1858-1942),” Manitoba Historical Society.
Hummelt, Bob. “Four decades later, Riediger’s store maintains a commitment to its community.” Mennonite Mirror (October 1988): 9.
Langelotz, Karl. “A Winnipeg Landmark.” A Westgate Retrospective (2012): 18.
Martin, Melissa. “End of an oasis.” Winnipeg Free Press (28 January 2012): A6.
Moncrieff, Holli. “Family-run grocery store a staple in inner city.” Winnipeg Free Press (19 January 2000): 49.
Moore, Kimberley. “Fat Boys and Nips.” In Mmm…Manitoba: The Stories Behind the Foods We Eat. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2024.
Price, Scott. “1978 Safeway Strike.” Manitoba Food History Project ArcGIS story map (8 March 2021).
Riediger’s Super Market Ltd. File summary (as of 25 January 2022), Companies Office, Government of Manitoba.
Heinrich Riediger fonds, archival description. Mennonite Heritage Centre Archives & Gallery, CA MHCA MHC17.
Nicholas Riediger obituary. Winnipeg Free Press (15 January 2008).
Spellman, Susan V. Cornering the Market: Independent Grocers and Innovation in American Small Business. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016.
“Tim Hortons brews up plan for West Alexander store.” Winnipeg Free Press (8 February 2013): A7.
UFCW Local 832. “History.”
Isaac (Issy) Weinshenker obituary. Winnipeg Free Press (31 December 2004).