Our Story
Behind the Counter
Last week was my dad's birthday, so this first story belongs to him, and to the store that raised us both.
In 1931, in the depths of the Great Depression, Kroger decided New Vienna, Ohio, wasn't worth a store. My great-grandfather, Gleason Streber, disagreed. He left Kroger, borrowed $25 for the till, and opened Streber's Market on his own.
It was a big bet on a small town. Families were stretching every dollar, and he was asking them to spend those dollars with him. They did, year after year.
Three generations behind the counter
The store passed from my great-grandfather to my grandpa, known by all of us kids as Poppy Bob, and then to my dad and my uncle. Each of them stood behind the same counter, serving the same town.
I grew up there too. I stocked shelves. I carried out groceries. I cleaned the meat cooler where the hamburger was ground fresh every day. Nobody called it training, but it was.
My dad taught me how to open the store. Every morning I walked to work with him, opened up, and then walked on to school. Rain, snow, or shine. After school I walked right back to the store, and usually tried to sneak a Hostess apple pie.
It was a great lesson in routine and responsibility, and in simply spending time with my dad. He is the hardest-working person I have ever met, and he taught me the importance of a strong work ethic.
What the counter taught me
- Show up every day. A store doesn't open itself, and a town notices when you're not there.
- The small work matters. A clean cooler and fresh hamburger are how you keep a customer's trust.
- A business belongs to its town, too. The name on the sign carries the trust of everyone who walks through the door.
The land held on
My great-grandparents later bought a farm, and my great-grandfather retired there. My great-uncle and cousins still farm it today. The grocery and the ground, Main Street and the farm field: that's the family I come from.
The store has a different story. Streber's Market still exists, in a different location, but it's no longer owned by my family. I'm grateful it carried on. I also know how easily it could have been lost, and how many family businesses are.
Why it matters now
I spent more than 30 years in finance and accounting. I watched good companies and family farms get sold off, carved up, or stripped of what made them worth building. I came to believe the same tools could be used to carry them forward instead.
That is why I started Omega Preservation Equity. When an owner is ready to step away, we want the name, the people, and the work to keep going. What Omega builds, we point toward Christ-centered education for children and young adults, so the next generation learns what that counter taught me.
Happy birthday, Dad. Thank you for the counter, and for every one of those walks.
Jodi Ashton, Founder & Managing Director
Photo: A birthday cake with lit candles.
↑ Back to contents