KY3 in Springfield, Missouri, recently produced a story about the reopening of the long-closed Wrinks Market along Route 66 in Lebanon, Missouri.
The general store closed in 2005 after the death of its founder, Glenn “Wrink” Wrinkle, at age 83. His son, Terry, reopened it for about two years in 2007, but it shuttered again in the midst of the Great Recession.
Now Glenn Wrinkle’s granddaughter, Katie Hapner, has taken up the family business along with her sister-in-law. It reopened about two weeks ago.
Wrinks Market again is making its freshly made sandwiches, which long were extolled by radio host Paul Harvey.
I see Wrinks Market also is selling antiques is wise; a hybrid business model probably will help keep the doors open.
But it seems Hapner’s main motivation to reopen Wrinks Market was because she used to be behind the counter as her grandfather worked, and she missed it.
(Screen capture image of Katie Hapner in Wrinks Market in Lebanon, Missouri)
This is excellent! Glad to see the business staying in the family. We can’t wait to visit here again.
I lived at Starlite trailer park and rode my bIke to Wrink’s for years. I worked there with he and Flo as his stock boy and jack of all trades from 1971 to 1974, when I left for college. Spent a lot of my salary on grape sodas, paperbacks….and those great sandwiches he made. So great to think of it opening again!
The key to success lies in recovering that marquee arrow from the car dealer, if you ask me.