THE STORY OF DOTTIE'S
For over 53 years, Hake’s Grocery was a staple of the local community and a legacy that continues as we usher in a new era with Dottie’s Family Market. Dottie’s Family Market continues to offer the same quality grocery, deli, gas and greenhouse items that customers are used to – all with the same friendly, community-focused customer service as always. The store has been a family-owned business since the beginning and will remain the same, and our family looks forward to the opportunity to build stronger relationships with you, our local community.
Brother and sister duo Sharon Hogue and Dean Berkheimer grew up shopping at Hake’s Grocery, so when the business came up for sale in 2017, the business owners jumped at the chance to purchase the hidden local gem.
The decision to rename Hake’s Grocery was a tough one, but ultimately, Dean and Sharon felt that the name Hake’s, while iconic, was part of the past generation. The choice to move ahead with a new name allowed the Berkheimers and Hogues to forge a path for the future generations of their families.
When it came time to decide on a new name, many ideas were thrown in the pot, but there seemed to be a recurring theme: Dottie. With a group of people piled in a conference room and ideas listed out on a whiteboard, the names were whittled down until only one remained: Dottie’s Family Market.
While Dottie’s passion is her family, who she loves dearly, her true calling and gift is hospitality. Her daughter Sharon recalled weekends as a kid, with Dottie always inviting people over on Saturdays and Sundays after church. She loves cooking for others and finds true joy in it.
Naming Dottie’s Family Market after her was a way to pay tribute and show respect to a woman who has given so much to her family, while also continuing to foster a sense of community and hospitality like Dottie has for so many years.
MEET KENNY THE CORN
Dottie’s Family Market is a joint pursuit between the Berkheimer and Hogue families, both local to York, PA. While incorporating Dottie from the Berkheimer family, we also wanted to represent the other side – and it was a no-brainer that Ken Hogue, the patriarch of the Hogue family, be chosen as the “face” of Dottie’s Family Market – Kenny the Corn.
Pap Hogue loved Hake’s Grocery and the country farm feel of the store. He frequented Hake’s, stopping in the store after a long day of mowing and often riding to the produce auction with Randy Hake. Having grown up a farm boy, Pap loved growing, planting and eating sweet corn with his family, so incorporating Kenny the Corn into the storyline of Dottie’s seemed like a natural fit.
Pap Hogue embodied kindness, honesty, a love of community and family as well as a strong work ethic – all qualities that we value and strive to exemplify here at Dottie’s. Ken could strike up conversation with anyone in any place and made a friend of everyone. He loved his family fiercely and instilled a love of Jesus in them, always leading by example.
We lost Pap Hogue shortly after Christmas 2017, but he would have loved to see Dottie’s come to fruition and would have undoubtedly sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch every day, greeting every customer as they walked through the door.