Frank John Gerbes began in the grocery business in 1933 in Tipton, Missouri, with a general store.
Born in a log cabin in 1901 near Jefferson City, he spent his school days attending the Mount Hope School near the family farm. In his early years, he helped the family with the livestock and other duties of tending to the crops of corn and hay. At an early age, he bought straw stacks and baled straw to sell, he drove a truck and hauled milk, bought an ice cream company (Purity Ice Cream at 820 E. High St.), bought a small food store, and worked for the Kroger Store on Dunklin Street.
Restless by nature and determined to succeed, Gerbes accepted employment with a national food chain in Tipton. In the eight years there, he gathered a wealth of experience and felt that it was time to go into business for himself. Purchasing the first general merchandise store, buying and selling butter, cream, milk, eggs, footwear, dry-goods, ready-to-wear and groceries, his dream became a reality. He believed this type of general store went out of style for a time but came back in the form of a supermarket.
A similar supermarket was opened in Versailles in the early '30s when Gerbes decided to expand his operation. During that time, he also opened four others stores at Windsor, Eldon, Holden, Boonville and Camdenton.
Gerbes was president of the company while his wife served as vice president. He attributed a great part of his success in the business to the loyal companionship of his wife, Minni Schatzer Gerbes. Besides being an excellent homemaker, Minni gave many hours of her time managing the detailed supermarket office operations at Tipton as buyer and supervisor of dry goods operations of the firm. With the purchase and renovation of the Tipton Theatre building, the home office and headquarters for Gerbes Inc. had a new home and remained there during the course of their ownership.
In 1961, Frank and Minni opened a large supermarket in Pleasant Hill. It was the seventh in the corporation and was the largest and finest of all supermarkets in the area at that time.
Columbia was the site for two Gerbes supermarkets; one founded in 1961, and a second one in 1972.
In 1965, Gerbes built the first Gerbes Family Shopping Center in his hometown of Jefferson City on East McCarty and Benton streets. This was the ninth store in the Gerbes chain. It was known as eight-stores-in-one because it had distinctly different departments in the 41,000 square feet of floor space. The store highlighted dry goods, variety goods, hardware, drugs, sundries, a restaurant, a delicatessen, an in-store bakery and grocery department. A grand opening with ribbon cutting ceremony was held with Mayor John Christy among the guests.
In 1971, the second supermarket was opened in west Jefferson City on North Ten Mile Drive. Gerbes stated that he was very happy to return to business in his hometown and serve Jefferson City.
The Gerbes chain expanded to Fulton in 1972.
In 1970, the Gerbes received the 1969 Tipton Chamber of Commerce Achievement Award. As chairman of the Board of Directors of the Gerbes chain of supermarkets, Gerbes also served in an advisory capacity on the Board of Directors of Dillion and Company of which the Gerbes chain was a subsidiary.
Gerbes had a profit-sharing and retirement plan for all employees. They attributed the company's success to good employee relations. Employees could own company stock either by paying cash or through a payroll deduction plan. The Gerbes had no children of their own and considered the members of the organization as part of their family.
Frank Gerbes stated, "These people have helped us build our business, and we intend to let them have the benefits now and after we are gone."
When Gerbes wanted to retire, the company merged with the Dillion Company of Hutchison, Kansas, with an agreement that all employees kept their seniority with the company. Later the Dillion Company merged with Kroger Company.
Frank Gerbes died Dec. 14, 1975, and Minnie in 1993. In all, they founded 14 groceries in Central Missouri. They are interred in the Evangelical Cemetery in California, Missouri.
Anna Knaebel is a Jefferson City native and a freelance writer. She has co-authored Military Memories with Cindy Joannes. Information for this article was provided by Carol Gerbes Ousley, the neice of Frank and Minnie Gerbes.