Yesterday, we said goodbye to a Richmond staple. Ukrop's is no more. They closed their doors at 6pm and will reopen in 9 days as Martin's.
Some will likely find this entry to be silly and melodramatic. Perhaps it is, but here goes....
Ukrop's was my childhood. Many an afternoon, my mother would pick me up from day care and we would head to Ukrop's to pick up odds and ends. If I behaved myself, I was allowed to ask the lady behind the bakery counter for a Rainbow cookie, which they kept extra batches of and handed them out for free everyday to children desiring that sugar fix.
It was in Ukrop's that my Mom and Dad foiled the surprise each of them was planning for their wedding anniversary when Mom, frantically gathering each ingredient to make a special dinner, looked up to see her 6-year old little girl sprinting up the aisle toward a man in a suit holding a dozen yellow roses. Neither of them had expected to run into each other, but I'm sure it made the occasion all the more memorable.
It was in Ukrop's that I spent 3 hours with one of the store's dietitians, carefully perusing each aisle for gluten free items when I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease and had confined myself to a diet of rice cakes and apples.
It was at a Ukrop's that I ate my last lunch as someone who wasn't another human being's mother. The lady behind the counter even gave me an extra scoop of frozen yogurt and a hug to wish me well. Where else does that happen?
It was Ukrop's products that filled the cardboard barrier of every care package my mother ever sent me in college.
I'm hopeful that not much will change. I'm hopeful there will still be a kind soul there to bag my groceries and accompany me to my car. I'm hopeful that the bakery will still remain (as planned) so that my daughter can know the joys of Buttercream Coffee Cake, Petit Fours, Rainbow Cookies, and White House Rolls. So, farewell, old friend.
Yesterday, we said goodbye to a Richmond staple. Ukrop's is no more. They closed their doors at 6pm and will reopen in 9 days as Martin's.
Some will likely find this entry to be silly and melodramatic. Perhaps it is, but here goes....
Ukrop's was my childhood. Many an afternoon, my mother would pick me up from day care and we would head to Ukrop's to pick up odds and ends. If I behaved myself, I was allowed to ask the lady behind the bakery counter for a Rainbow cookie, which they kept extra batches of and handed them out for free everyday to children desiring that sugar fix.
It was in Ukrop's that my Mom and Dad foiled the surprise each of them was planning for their wedding anniversary when Mom, frantically gathering each ingredient to make a special dinner, looked up to see her 6-year old little girl sprinting up the aisle toward a man in a suit holding a dozen yellow roses. Neither of them had expected to run into each other, but I'm sure it made the occasion all the more memorable.
It was in Ukrop's that I spent 3 hours with one of the store's dietitians, carefully perusing each aisle for gluten free items when I was first diagnosed with Celiac Disease and had confined myself to a diet of rice cakes and apples.
It was at a Ukrop's that I ate my last lunch as someone who wasn't another human being's mother. The lady behind the counter even gave me an extra scoop of frozen yogurt and a hug to wish me well. Where else does that happen?
It was Ukrop's products that filled the cardboard barrier of every care package my mother ever sent me in college.
I'm hopeful that not much will change. I'm hopeful there will still be a kind soul there to bag my groceries and accompany me to my car. I'm hopeful that the bakery will still remain (as planned) so that my daughter can know the joys of Buttercream Coffee Cake, Petit Fours, Rainbow Cookies, and White House Rolls. So, farewell, old friend.
Ok, I must admit that I got a little "teary eyed" in reading your entry. I too hope they will keep the bakery products. Petit fours was what I craved the entire time when I was pregnant w/ Alexandra! My Mom would bring them up to MD every time she would come and visit and I even had her ship some to me once!!!
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