(Image from The Herald Journal) 

The Salterns

Before acquiring the market, Floyd and Thelma Saltern operated a hotel and cafe in Provo, Utah. Floyd also owned and operated a paint contracting business ten years prior to going into the grocery business.[73] 

When they obtained the market in 1950, they renamed it the “Island Market” (although it was sometimes also called Saltern’s Island Market), giving it the first memorable and significant moniker that was not simply the owner’s last name. 

Over time they would employ several members of the community, including their son Sandy, making the market a family business.[74] Sandy would later remember this experience as something that taught him the value of hard work.[75] 

In 1953, Floyd and Thelma Saltern would remodel the market for the first time. It was described as “attractive” and “completely renovated and modernized.” The interior of the building doubled in size, included new space for produce and dairy, and had an improved heating and lighting system, while the exterior of the building featured brownish-red tile. These renovations took several months to complete, lasting from February to June of 1953.[76] 

(Image from The Herald Journal) 

Eleven years after they first acquired the store, the Salterns would remodel the market again in 1961. This newly remodeled market would again double the space of the building and feature a new lighting system, floor, and heating system. The grand opening occurred on the ninth and tenth of December, 1961. During this, “lady customers” were offered gifts and small children received balloons. Hams were raffled off to visitors and the Island Market distributed free groceries on the Friday and Saturday of the grand re-opening.[77] 

The store’s use of gender-based advertisements may have been a deliberate effort to counter similar advertisements made by larger supermarkets, which frequently promoted themselves as the “perfect store” for busy housewives.[78] 

Unlike prior owners, the Salterns were a permanent presence at 400 East and Center Street. After acquiring the Island Market, the Salterns had become an important resource to the community. Their market had helped contribute to the growth of the Island, while some parts of the community stood still. They strived to keep the prices “right” for their community and to keep the community connection afloat. One customer stated, “We always get something we cannot get in larger grocery stores—personalized service.”[79] After nearly thirty years, the Salterns would pass the Island Market to the next owners in 1979. While the store had a rocky, unstable beginning in decades previous, it grew to be a recognizable and important piece of the community under the Salterns.