Round Top’s ‘Everything Store’ Turns 40

Round Top Mercantile turns 40 years old this year. The store will celebrate the occasion with a customer appreciation party on April 13.

The Record sat down with Michael and Jackie Sacks last week to discuss their family’s four decades in business. During that time, they witnessed Round Top’s transformation from a quiet farming community to one of the most wealthy zip codes in the state.

“My parents, Ronny and Betty, had a vision to get Round Top back on the map,” said Michael Sacks. “Back in the early 1980s, there wasn’t much in Round Top. Dad grew up here, born and raised here. At one time, there were seven to nine business establishments. As generations came and went, those businesses died out. There was a need for something here. My mom was a paralegal, working in the law field for many years. She was tired of it. So her and my dad said, ‘Let’s build a store.’” Construction began in 1984 and the store opened on June 14 of that year. Round Top Mercantile started out as a 2,400 sq. ft. building that sold groceries and a few hardware items. It also had fuel pumps, a small deli and a bar.

Sacks said the community had mixed reactions to his parents opening the store.

“There were some folks who couldn’t understand why they would want to take a gamble on building a store,” Sacks said. “My dad’s dad was Willie Sacks, Jr., but everyone knew him as ‘Junior.’ A gentleman came by one day and asked him, ‘Junior, what’s Betty and Ronny going to do with that building when it doesn’t make it?’ He said, ‘Aw, hell, they’ll just turn it into a hay barn.’” Although some locals had their doubts, the business proved its worth.

“When my mom opened the doors, she thought if she took in $800 a day, she would be pleased,” Michael said. “That would make the note payment. Yes, for them it was a gamble, just like any new business. You don’t know if it’s going to work or not. But low and behold, it worked.”

The couple expanded the store just two years after opening. Michael said his mom no longer wanted to be in the beer joint business. So they removed the bar (although the store maintains an on-premise alcohol license to this day). They expanded their grocery and hardware selections.

The business continued to grow. In 1992, they expanded the store again to offer a full line of hardware supplies. The Mercantile’s footprint expanded to 4,800 sq. ft. The company hired Eugene Hall at that time to manage the hardware department. Round Top Mercantile expanded into the farm and ranch business in 1997, offering feed and other agricultural products.

Michael Sacks grew up in the business. He was seven years old when the store opened. In 1999, after graduating from college, Michael returned home to help with the family business. His wife Jackie started working for the Mercantile in 2000, and the two later married.

“Growing up in a family business, you never really go on vacations,” he said. “Everything revolves around the business.”

“As a matter of fact, our honeymoon was at a hardware show,” said Jackie Sacks.

In 2011, Round Top Mercantile added a line of outdoor equipment and power tools, offering products from Stihl and Bobcat, among others. In 2014, the store underwent a major expansion, almost tripling in size to 22,000 sq. ft. They added more room for the deli and grew their grocery selections.

“The grocery business has always been the bread basket of the store,” Michael said. “It has always been a stable department.”

Harvey Dippel, former proprietor of the D&Z Men’s Shop in La Grange, joined the Mercantile staff that year to head up an expansion into the apparel business. A big change came two years ago when Farmers Lumber Company of La Grange acquired Round Top Mercantile. Michael Sacks joined the Farmers Lumber board of directors and assumed a new role as business development manager. The Mercantile added a 7,000 sq. ft. lumber barn to serve the needs of the rapidly growing community.

“We were two companies looking at ways to expand,” Michael said. “We were looking at ways to expand either this location or add another location somewhere. They were looking at ways to buy another business and expand as well. Orgill, our hardware supplier, brought us to a table for a meeting. We started working out a deal.”

“It was a year-long process from the original sit-down,” Jackie said.

“It’s worked out well for both companies,” Michael said. “Today, the industry is all about volume. You have to grow to survive.”

Michael said the Farmers Lumber board of directors liked the way the Sacks family operated the Mercantile.

“It was an acquisition, but it was treated more like a merger because they liked the people who were here running it,” he said.

Michael said one key to the Mercantile’s success is customer service - something his mother Betty instilled in him from an early age.

“I had been helping out in the store since it opened, but mom put me on the payroll in 1995,” he recalled. “One of my goals since day one was to know every customer who walked in the door - by name.”

He said that task proved impossible, though, after the 2014 expansion, when the store and its customer base doubled in size.

“With the influx of new people, I can’t keep up with it,” he said. “Our average daily count of customers is 500 to 600.”

He said loyal employees are another key to the company’s success.

“I can’t even count how many employees who have contributed to the store’s success,” Michael said. “We’ve had very little turnover in all these 40 years when it comes to disgruntled or non-performing employees. It’s been an avenue for many of them to grow into their final careers.”

He said the store’s employees, both past and present, feel like family to him.

“We’ve always had that family-feel,” he said. “I got your back, you got my back. I think that’s why we’ve been successful. We treat our customers that way. We treat our employees that way.

Michael said the acquisition allowed Round Top Mercantile to access Farmers’ powerful distribution network. The Mercantile could now supply large orders for construction projects in the Round Top by truck from Farmer’s Lumber in La Grange.

Jackie Sacks went to work as a territorial sales rep for Orgill, the hardware supplier that brought the two companies together for talks.

J.B. Cravens assumed the role of store manager. Cravens previously worked in the construction business, but he found himself in need of a job after the 2008 housing crash. He came to work for the Mercantile temporarily.

“His famous last words were, ‘All I want to do is load feed and sweep and mop the floors, and I don’t want to mess with the cash register,’” Michael said.

The company hired him full time in 2009. He promised to stay for a year. The Sacks family put him in charge of their expansion into Stihl power tools.

“One year came and went, and he decided to stay with us,” Michael said.

Cravens rose through the ranks, learning the ins and outs of each department.

“Our goal was to mold him into the store manager,” Michael said. “He always joked about wanting to sit in my chair one day. That’s what he does not, but he doesn’t get to sit in the chair very much.”

Michael said his parents’ vision was for the Mercantile to become a true general store - a one-stop-shop for the residents of the area who would otherwise have to travel far for their typical needs. That vision has guided the company’s growth for 40 years.

And the future looks bright for Round Top Mercantile.

“The main goal right now is to maintain stability and continue to evolve in areas like e-commerce,” Michael said. “And to have great customer service.”

The company plans to upgrade its fuel infrastructure in the near future. They’re also planning some upgrades to the deli and grocery department.

“Small retail is about relationships,” Michael said. “Home Depot, Lowe’s, Amazon, and all the big boxes - to them, you’re just a number. Our company is about you as a person.”

Be sure to stop by Round Top Mercantile on April 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for their 40th Anniversary Party and Spring Sale.