Mr. G’s now Shaw’s Marketplace

PROPHETSTOWN – Mr. G’s grocery, a staple in the downtown, reopened Thursday with new ownership and a different name.

Longtime owners Reg and Janet Gage sold the store at 214 Washington St. to friend Bob Hatheway, owner of Shaw’s Marketplace in Mount Carroll.

The store was closed for a party Wednesday, while the community said goodbye to the Gages, who are retiring and moving to Chicago’s south suburban area.

For Reg, 60, and Janet, 55, the decision to sell the store was driven not so much by business factors, but a desire to relocate. Four of their six sons and four grandchildren live in that area.

“Even working 7 days a week for 32 years, I’m not burned out,” Reg said. “If we could take the store, staff, and our house with us, I would, but it’s just time for us to enjoy our kids and grandkids.”

The Gages came to Prophetstown in 1979 to run the store then known as Scott’s Grocery. It was owned by former Mayor Marvin Scott.

“Marvin wanted to retire, and so I came here to run it with an agreement that I could buy it within 5 years,” Reg said. “I ended up getting it a year early, in October 1983.”

The Gages immersed themselves in the community, and provided jobs for 15 to 20 high school kids each year. Reg was a high school baseball and basketball coach for many years, so he was in tune with their need for flexible work schedules. Three of his sons are also coaches.

“We’ve considered the people in this community family,” Reg said. “I’ve coached so many of the kids, and many of them also worked here. Some of their kids are even working for me now.”

All six of the Gage’s sons worked at the store, which made it easy for Dad and Mom to keep tabs on them.

“When they weren’t in sports and other extracurricular activities, they were helping me at the store,” Reg said. “All of us jumped in with both feet.”

The Hatheways also bring a strong family presence to the new Shaw’s Marketplace.

“My son Ryan works full time in Mount Carroll, and my daughter is in college now, but she will be an integral part of the business,” Bob said.

Bob started working at the Mount Carroll store when he was 15, for the man who would one day become his father-in-law.

The Hatheways moved to Georgia, where Bob worked for Food Lion grocery chain for 10 years. They returned to Illinois in 2001, and Bob bought the Mount Carroll store in 2007.

Bob said Prophetstown seemed like a good fit because of the similarities to Mount Carroll.

“The towns and the stores are about the same size,” Bob said. “We’re not too familiar with the town, but we’ve been coming here quite a bit the last month, just attending church and getting to know people.”

Bob said it’s too soon to tell what types of changes might be made to the store. He did say he plans to keep the staff at the same size, and it’s likely his son will eventually run the store here.

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