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Hosted by Rick Jackson. Airs on WVIZ/PBS Fridays at from 7:30pm - 8:00pm and Sundays from 11:00am - 11:30am.

A Homegrown Empire: Heinen's Celebrates 90 Years

For many of us in Cleveland, "groceries" means Heinen's. And for the Heinen family, it all started with meat. 

Later came peanut butter, then donuts... eventually, vegetables and grains. 

From that one location, there are now 23 Heinen's grocery stores serving communities in Northeast Ohio, and suburban Chicago.

Generations of Clevelanders know of no other way to shop for groceries -- Heinen's being as much a part of the fabric of this city as the West Side Market, Playhouse Square, or Severance Hall.

2019 is special to the company, as it marks 90 years since that first store opened, and the organization has been celebrating all year. But do you know the history, or the tenacity, that has enabled these family-owned markets to not only still operate, but to keep thriving? 

Rick Jackson is a senior host and producer at Ideastream Public Media. He hosts the "Sound of Ideas" on WKSU and "NewsDepth" on WVIZ.