The Peru Gazette

By John T. Ryan 

December 7, 2022,  Keeseville – The Peru Gazette concentrates on Peru news, but we’re making an exception because Arnold’s Grocery in Keeseville is celebrating its 60th anniversary. How has the small family-owned grocery store survived when regional stores usually dominate small towns? 

Co-owner George “Speedy” Arnold commented, “We had to find a niche. Our workers know our customers’ names and greet them when they come in. They know what people need.” The store’s “Hall of Fame” wall has dozens of photos of people who worked there over the years, including five Arnold generations. Speedy’s father and mother, George and Anne Arnold, bought the store in 1962. Speedy and his wife Susan took over in 1994. 

While Speedy credits his employees, there’s more to the story. Last weekend, Kilian Croghan, working behind the store’s counter, described Speedy as more than speedy. He used the word “whirlwind.” Up until two years ago, when he retired from driving bus and tax assessing, Speedy had five jobs – Stacking store shelves, playing bluegrass, selling artwork, being town tax assessor, and being an AuSable Valley school bus driver. 

Many people throughout our region know Speedy as the man who entertains people at schools, libraries, farmers’ markets, and other public events. A guitarist, songwriter, singer, and artist, the SUNY Plattsburgh Fine Arts graduate, Arnold has been in a band since the late 70s. He recalled, “In 1979, Doug Knight and his wife Alice needed a guitar player for their bluegrass band Marti Gras. So I played with them until the mid-80s and later in the band Three Doug Knight. It was a great association.” Today, Speedy’s a member of Alice’s Fault Band.

Twenty-five years ago. Doug Knight told Speedy that Santa’s Workshop needed another singer for its Yuletide Family Weekends. Speedy got the job, and he’s still entertaining families at the workshop and during their Saturday evening meal at a local restaurant. This past weekend he sang at the Hungry Trout in Wilmington. He’s been doing it long enough to entertain second-generation families. 

At a time when many people are mesmerized by cell phone cameras, Speedy doesn’t own one; instead, he’s sketching on pad #53. His sister Allison commented, “When he goes out, he puts himself in a position where he can see everyone in the room. If we go out to dinner, you know he will be sketching. When he transported kids to sports events, he’d sit sketching the action in the stands and on the court or field.” His sketches depict the Keeseville area’s beautiful buildings and the region’s scenic attractions; many are framed or sold on postcards and note cards at Arnold’s Grocery. Next to the sketches, customers can buy the three children’s books that Speedy illustrated, “The Little Brook in the Field,” “What’s an Elephant Doing in the Ausable River,” and “The Adventures of Molly the Monarch Butterfly and Friends.” Speedy admits, “I’m a shameless promoter.” 

Every business faces challenges, and Arnold’s is no exception. About twelve years ago, Speedy thought about closing. As has often happened in his life, a friend offered a suggestion that he accepted. A beer salesman said, “You sell 75 brands now. There’s a store in Saranac Lake offering even more.” Speedy checked out that store and expanded his brands, especially craft beers. Speedy said, “We started with 75, and now we have over 500. A few days ago, we counted 525.” Arnold’s became a destination stop for local and regional craft beers and all the popular domestic and Canadian brands, all sold at competitive prices. 

Speedy’s relationship with another longtime friend resulted in the store recently adding a much-beloved local food product. He said, “Mike Finnegan, the former owner of the North County Club, asked if I’d be interested in selling the North Country Club pizza. So, of course, I was, and people loved it. I place a weekly order and often place a refill order to keep from running out.”

As Speedy said, Arnold’s Grocery’s employees are essential to the store’s success. There’s also been Speedy’s “shameless promotion,” talent, hard work, openness to suggestions, and close human relationships. Speedy’s lifelong friend Chuck Benoit summed it up with the word generosity. He commented, “Speedy and his wife Susan are very generous. They make everyone feel welcome.”  The Arnolds extend that same spirit to customers, employees, and the community, an apparent recipe for success. 

Arnold’s Grocery and Likkir Lokker is located at 182 Pleasant St, RT 9N, Keeseville, NY 12944. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday – Saturday. Closed Sundays.

Click here to view Speedy’s rendition of “They’re Blowin’ Up the Champlain Bridge.”