Back in 2011, I wrote an item about Earl Tomlin, an employee of Tri-Star Supermarket in Kilmarnock.
In writing the column I recall thinking that Earl could have been a professor of marketing at Harvard Business School, given his ability to build loyalty and goodwill among his customers and fellow workers. My point of reference was that Earl was gifted with an extraordinary ability to be of service to the public. He liked people, all people, and treated everyone with respect and dignity.
In the days when Tri-Star had its own egg farm near his home in Upper Lancaster, Earl was the manager of the operation. After it closed, he moved to the store, where he was in charge of his own aisle, covering pickles, olives, juices, dried and canned fruits and jams and jellies. He was pleased to be able to keep the shelves well-stocked and to put in orders for items his customers wanted but were not on hand. He worked constantly, and through his job he made numerous new friends.
As automation, big box stores and grocery chains have proliferated across the landscape, the independent grocery stores have been challenged to keep pace. In the Northern Neck, Tri-Star and Hall’s Supermarket at Monroe Hall in Westmoreland County remain the two landmarks for personalized shopping and each has its own loyal following of customers.
Neighborhood country stores were fixtures of the American economy until the boom of the postwar years forced many to go out of business, to be replaced by new ventures driven by the need to placate stockholders with their profit margins. Happily, Tri-Star and Hall’s have bucked that process.
Whether shopping for Earl’s items or not, many folks went down his aisle to say hello and pass the time of day with him. Regardless of how busy he was, Earl had a smile, a greeting and a handshake for every customer. He truly had a magnetic personality and he was beloved by all who knew him. His wit was uniquely his and he delighted in producing plays on words, often leaving his customers laughing as they moved on to the next aisle. Earl merged being a neighbor and a grocer, and I use the term “neighbor” in the biblical meaning of the word as one who lived to be of service to others. In his spare time, he helped people with maintaining their yards and by doing errands for them.
When Earl spoke, he drew on his wealth of wisdom, always having the right word for whatever the subject or circumstance. He also had a wonderful memory and despite how many people spoke to him, he remembered details from every conversation and he would refer to them on later occasions. He was a master of the personal approach to good living.
Earl enjoyed every working day, but as the years passed, his health mitigated against his being able to continue to work at his stand and he retired, much to the sadness of his regulars at Tri-Star. In his retirement, he often could be found doing his own grocery shopping at the store, which afforded renewed opportunities to spend time with his following of co-workers and customers.
Earlier this year, Earl developed a serious illness and last Thursday he died a few days before his 81st birthday. He brought joy and happiness to everyone he met and although he could have taught marketing at Harvard, we can be grateful that instead he lived among us.
Thomas Earl Tomlin, November 3, 1943 – October 24, 2024. R.I.P.
