Leonard and Polly Ballif, the operators of the Grocery Outlet located in Mt. Vernon, Washington have been associated with Grocery Outlet since 1984. Leonard has been involved with the grocery business nearly all of his life—even his dad worked in grocery! When Polly started shopping at Grocery Outlet, the two found out more about the company and decided to seize the opportunity to become operators. They worked for the Wiley family in Beaverton for several years and then managed the store in Walla Walla. After five years, they became operators in Mt. Vernon and have been there ever since.

Leonard and Polly’s favorite part about owning their own business is that they get to work with the people they love the most. They also enjoy the opportunity to be involved with the Mt. Vernon community. Currently they serve on the Food Bank Board, stock houses for the Habitat for Humanity, and sponsor many other non-profit organizations. Leonard and Polly also enjoy their loyal and whole-hearted customers. The couple can remember several years back when an arson fire in the back of the store forced it to shut down for a little while. When Leonard and Polly re-opened the store, they marked everything down 50%. They were happy to be able to give the customers great deals on the products, but what made them feel even more fantastic was all the appreciation the customers showed. The couple was thanked for re-opening and not giving up on the community, and for all of their efforts to provide the town with affordable prices on great brand name products.

Leonard and Polly, along with two of their boys, their sister-in-law, and their niece, would like to say they appreciate all of their customers, especially those who have become friends of the family. And they want you to remember: “This is the store where low prices are more than a slogan!”