by Elise Goitia '18

William Baffes '58 was recently featured in the Southtown Star, a Chicago Tribune publication in a story that recognized long-time achievement in the family business. Baffes and his wife Joan Walant Baffes ‘58 started their County Fair Foods grocery store in the Beverly neighborhood on the southwest side of Chicago 50 years ago, and they've continued giving back to the community ever since.

A 2009 issue of Knox Magazine also spotlighted Baffes and his family, dscribing County Fair Foods' exceptional success through fresh produce, colorful arrangement of fare, and overall customer satisfaction.

With 17 grandchildren and no plans of retirement, along with multitudes of loyal customers, Bill has his work set out for him. "See where I'm sitting? That's where I'm going to die," he said to the Southtown Star as he sat in his office with family photos and an ad from County Fair's opening on the wall behind him.

A true family-founded pursuit, everyone takes a part in running County Fair Foods. Tom Baffes, Bill's son and the store's president, is excited to work with his father. Joan is in charge of painting the signs indicating current sale items while Chrissy acts as assistant manager and Terri its secretary and vice president. Katie works as a full-time mom to her six children.

With 75 full and part-time employees and intent toward customer satisfaction, the grocery store continues to stay in league with larger grocery chains. Bill told the Southtown Star that he expects County Fair Foods to continue on for "at least 50 more years."

"You need to have a passion for what you're doing," he said in the Knox Magazine interview. "What we're selling is confidence. You gain the customer's confidence by doing the right things, every day."

In addition to the gratitude of the community for the Baffes' hard work, the former Beverly Arts Center officially changed its name to The Baffes Theatre in December 2014. The renaming of the theatre was in acknowledgement of the generosity of the family.