The legacy of Leon’s Thriftway lives on in Blue Parkway Sun Fresh. Michelle Mitchell is a granddaughter of Leon Stapleton, the owner of what was one of the oldest Black-owned grocery stores in the country and where she worked until it closed in 2019. She now serves as the Blue Parkway grocery store’s perishable manager and she feels right at home.
“I met with Mr. King (John King, Blue Parkway Sun Fresh store manager) and fell in love with his values,” Mitchell said. “I saw that he was in the business to serve the community. I really took to his leadership style and thought coming here would be, for me, a match made in heaven.”
Like many of her family members, Mitchell grew up working in her grandfather’s grocery store, which closed its 4400 E. 39th location in 2019 after serving its community for more than 50 years. She says she missed being in the grocery industry.
“I was out about a year after Leon’s closed,” she said. “I missed people. Now some of the same customers that we served at Leon’s come to Blue Parkway Sun Fresh. Working here, I am able to stay in the community and serve many of the same customers we did before and more.”
Mitchell said customers grow to be like family. “You feel good and they feel good when you know their names, families, ask after their kids,” she added. “You want to hug them even though you’re not supposed to because of COVID. There’s something about really knowing your customers. Warms your heart.”
She’s excited about store manager King’s plan to grow and develop Blue Parkway Sun Fresh – bringing more product choice, remodeling, improving customer service. As perishable department manager, Mitchell has overseen an increase in the variety of offerings, for example, more seafood, types of meat cuts and bakery items.
“What I have found at Blue Parkway Sun Fresh is an updated grocery model with the heart and culture of Leon’s Thriftway,” Mitchell said.
She said she started at Leon’s as a cashier at age 12. She graduated high school from Lincoln Academy and then went on to Langston University – Langston Oklahoma, the only historically Black college or university (HBCU) in the state. And then she came back home.
“Growing up, working with family, it was a wonderful experience,” Mitchell said. “At Leon’s we had a little motto, ‘Our family serving yours.’ Working in a neighborhood store, it gave me an appreciation that our work is a service, not just a job. I get to continue that commitment to serve my community here, at Blue Parkway Sun Fresh.”