From 16-year-old cashier to franchisee: Lisa Lightfoot excited by next step at Kentville grocery store

At age 16, Lisa Lightfoot got a job at the old Dominion grocery store in Kentville. The store itself has had a lot of name changes over the years, going from IGA to Traditions Market to Save Easy and finally the Independent brand under Loblaws.

But Lightfoot was a constant through that time, moving up the ladder to looking after all the office and administration work. Last week, 34 years after she started, she took over as franchisee at the store when it reopened following extensive renovations and upgrades required after a fire in July 2022.

Franchisee Jason Blanchard retired and turned over the reins to Lightfoot at a small gathering before the store reopened last week. She’d worked under several franchisees or managers in the first two years before Blanchard’s father took over in 1991.

She said the move for her wasn’t a hard decision. She handled payroll, bookkeeping, file maintenance, scheduling and hiring, but “I was essentially (Blanchard’s) right-hand woman. When he said he was retiring, I thought I’ve always thought of the store as my own anyway; I’ve always worked as if it was and treated people as if it was, so I thought I could do that. If I’m going to be here another 10 or 15 years, I could be my own boss.”

It would be an easy transition for her, the staff and the community, she said.

There was no arm-twisting necessary. When Blanchard said he was retiring, Lightfoot started working on her resume.

“I’ve never had a resume in my life, because I’ve been here forever,” she said. “I applied in December, had an interview in January, and then heard back in July.”

“I think because I was so involved in the rebuild of the store they realized how much it meant to me,” she said.

She said the transition has been fairly smooth, but included some hiccups like the need to hire new staff to replace those who left through retirement or because they found new jobs in the intervening 16 months. There are also new programs running, new staff, and expanded offerings and innovations.

Her hours have changed, though.

“Definitely. I know for the first while my days are going to be long. Once all the kinks are worked out it will be better.”

For now, she’s starting her day at 6 a.m. and stats some nights util 8:30 p.m.

One week in, everything is going great she said.

“It’s hectic and crazy, but it’s awesome to be back in the store, to be back to somewhat of a regular routine,” she said.

“The community response has been amazing. Everyone is so thankful we’re back. They like the new look, they like the new items.”

The store was originally a Dominion store when it opened in 1957 in the current building. The age of the building meant a fair number of upgrades were required to get it ready to reopen after the fire.

The blaze on Canada Day of last year started in the front façade of the building and extended into the roofline.