Silver anniversary: Beloved downtown grocery store turns 25

Twenty-five years after it debuted, the Shop and Hop in downtown Shelton is still drawing curious new customers and regulars who on a recent day could find boxless bags of Reese's Puffs cereal for 99 cents, Mac'n'Cheese cups three for a dollar and cans of sweet potato Pringles for $1.59.

"I think a little [of the appeal] is the surprise element," said owner Susan Pollard, whose parents Gerald and Joan Elsberry opened the store in 2000. The customers include "people who like to save money, people who like to kind of treasure hunt because we definitely don't have the same products very long."

The store buys truckloads of items that are available after supermarkets reorganize and bring in new items and merchandise that is overstocked or discontinued.

"Sometimes companies will change the look of their products ... Customers look for things that aren't in grocery stores anymore," Pollard said.

Pollard said that sometimes during transport, one box of cereal in a case will develop a crushed corner and the supermarket will refuse the entire case. Other items may be close to the expiration date on the package, but the USDA states they are safe to eat even past the expiration date if handled and stored properly, Pollard said.

In a news release to the Journal, Pollard wrote, "As supermarket inventory ebbs and flows so does the merchandise available for our shelves. At times there is an overabundance of a product and other times it's slim pickings! We are also not immune to economic inflation. The price we pay for our inventory goes up just as everything else does! But we work hard to keep our prices low and affordable."

Pollard worked for Target stores for about 20 years in California, Oregon and Washington. Her positions included human resources and management. Her husband Ray worked in the hospitality and transportation industries.

Pollard's parents opened discount stores in California and then Oregon and Washington. In 2010, the Pollards bought the Shop and Hop from her parents.

The store offered fresh produce for a while but it proved to be too expensive, Pollard said. Along with food, the offerings include bathroom and beauty supplies and Persian rugs. The store's soundtrack is from the 1970s: Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, Seals and Crofts.

"I have a really good team of people right now who are handling things and taking care of things," Pollard said. She added, "Our business has had ups and downs but we're here - people say 'This is my first time here.' "