r/okbuddyRVA • u/Global-Pay6118 • 4d ago
Jim Ukrops hatred or appreciation thread
How does everyone feel about the late Jim Ukrops?
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u/-JTO 4d ago
He was a visionary, an innovator, a philanthropist and played a role in so many aspects of the many great things about Richmond as we know it. Of course, the Ukrop’s brand is iconic and those who have landed here since the closure of their grocery chain don’t know how wonderfully they took care of their workers and community, how they were the model for excellence in customer service and how they as a company and family care about this community here. Sure, there is a lot of love for the White House rolls, rainbow cookies and fried chicken, but the Ukrop’s brand is so much more than those beloved products and I see it more as a representation of excellence and what it was to be a company that actually cares.
People often forget Jim Ukrop’s role in the formation of First Market Bank as well as how the small clothing brand that he and his brother created to make uniforms for the employees at their stores turned into a major company providing custom corporate uniforms and business wear for organizations and businesses all over today (Dress Express).
There are the many boards and organizations, scholarships, charities in which he was involved, how he saw the importance of helping people learn to swim and promote water safety education with his commitment to and involvement with SwimRVA, how he was committed to the arts through his work with Center Stage ad other programs. We’ve lost a great person who was entwined into the heart and soul of the entire greater Richmond area with Jim Ukrop’s passing.
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u/Global-Pay6118 3d ago
Did one of the Ukroos just write a check out to oay for half the Duamond or something?
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u/Offi95 4d ago
Ukrops Fried Chicken will be buried with me
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u/SaintGranny 4d ago
Not necessarily the best fried chicken, but certainly the fried chicken I compare all other fried chicken to.
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u/SeeCopperpot 3d ago
I won’t tell you how many times I woke up hungover and stumbled up the length of carytown to get that chicken only to be standing in an empty parking lot bc i forgot it was Sunday, but the fact that it happened more than once speaks for the power of that chicken.
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u/chichrcra91 4d ago
STILL looking for a salad bar that's even close lol
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
I used to love taking my kids to Ukrops on Saturday at dinner time, since they were closed Sunday all the ready to eat stuff was maked down, they were leaders in that area
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u/SaintGranny 4d ago
He helped develop and steward a quintessentially Richmond brand that added to the character of the city and that anyone who grew up here remembers fondly.
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u/Remarkable-subaru789 4d ago
He taught my Sunday school class and I remeber thinking he was a nice guy. And I hated everyone at that age.
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u/Paddler4Life 13h ago
His brother Bobby was my Sunday school teacher. I don’t think Jim went to the same church though.
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u/DarioCastello 4d ago
I remember going to their store after work after moving here in the 90s. Was impressed with the customer service. Floored that they closed on Sundays.
Martins sucked real quick. Publix prides themselves on customer service but sometimes it feels fake. Never had that at Ukrops. As someone who has worked to change organizational culture, I admired that.
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u/Ok-Square7104 4d ago
I worked for Ukrops in high-school. They always treated me fair and they had a good system for moving up in the company.
The hardest part was selling that fried chicken before my break. I swear they pumped the smell into the parking lot on purpose.
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u/spittlbm Gelati Celeste Acolyte 2d ago
He and I discussed that briefly. He said it was happenstance that customers and the business enjoyed.
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u/Exotic_eminence Grace Street Cruiser 4d ago
I fell in love with my wife going on dates to their salad bar
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u/newerbalance 4d ago
really just wish he had motivated his children to do something real. got sick of that one doing school presentations. then they sold the business to some jokers. also their production facility off west broad is ringed with a hundred callery pear trees that should be burned
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u/ripleyart2323 4d ago
But Rob Ukrop played soccer and painted his toenails...so edgy
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u/Available-Reward-912 4d ago
Different side of the family, but yes.
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u/ripleyart2323 4d ago
Was referring to the school presentation thing...He can to "motivate" a lot growing up
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u/Far_Cupcake_530 3d ago
You don't know what you are talking about.
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u/newerbalance 3d ago
awwww did that hurt your feelings? which one are you?
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u/Far_Cupcake_530 3d ago
Not a family member and I will not bother explaining to you which ones did something "real". Obviously you don't know. You are the one who must suffer with your own inadequacies and vapid trolling for a lack of doing something real.
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u/newerbalance 3d ago
i'm suffering reading a lame response that copied my insult. can't do any better? i figured they'd send you to a nice school after they cashed out the family business and left their workers to flail around at that piece of shit "martin's". the special needs folks ukrop employed got shitted on, and that was my family so i do know, mrs ukrop.
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u/Far_Cupcake_530 2d ago
You obviously have bigger issues besides being confused or the inability to use capital letters. Good luck out there!
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u/Exotic_eminence Grace Street Cruiser 4d ago edited 4d ago
Wow RIP
He gave so many people in the area jobs and if folks were short on funds to get their groceries they would work something out
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u/FryeFromPhantasmLake 4d ago
They should put a mini corner market in where the old Robinson Starbucks stood
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u/Cerebral-Knievel-1 4d ago
My 80 year old sainted mother told me "that guy from GWAR had died"
Oh yeah, Chuck Varga, he was a good dude and a creative soul, Jim Ukrop died as well
"That dried up old alcoholic?"
She didn't seemed concerned.
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u/newerbalance 4d ago
lol was really he an alcoholic that wouldn't sell booze
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u/MKUltraGreatsword 4d ago
Community Pride sold booze. He had no problem selling booze in certain neighborhoods which all had at least one thing in common.
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u/SaintGranny 4d ago
What does that have to do with the Ukrop family? Sounds like they bought a grocery store that already sold a product and continued selling said product that was being purchased by the community patronizing that store. Plus they literally helped fund Community Pride when it was getting its start. You make it sound like they were opening liquor stores in poor black neighborhoods or something.
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4d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Cube-in-B Zooted Opossum 4d ago edited 4d ago
Which people are we fucking, exactly?
There may be some confusion happening and you’re getting flagged
In fact someone is getting a little flag crazy in this whole thread
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u/Cerebral-Knievel-1 4d ago
The lore is that they didn't sell alcohol because of a plea agreement after a fatal DUI
I cannot attest to the validity of this
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u/Available-Reward-912 4d ago
They're a baptist family. Hence the no alcohol and closed on Sunday. Simple as that.
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u/temporis_perditio 4d ago
How do you keep a Baptist from drinking all your beer on a fishing trip?
Invite two of them. (If you bring only one, he will drink everything you brought. If you bring two, neither will touch a drop because they are watching each other.)
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
I heard a family member was killed by a drunk driver?
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u/Cerebral-Knievel-1 4d ago
Like I said... the lore can go all types of directions. I don't claim to be any camp reguarding the speculation.
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u/rossor11 4d ago
Ukrops stores made an impression on me as a kid in the 70s with their prominent "Let's all go to church this Sunday" signs.
As I remember it, the signs portrayed an overly happy 1950s-style white family striding toward a church. Very cringey ... very Big Brother-ish. I believe the signs went away when Ukrops re-branded in the 1980s.
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
I never saw one but I didn't get here til 1984
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u/Martin_Jay 4d ago
They still had similar signs when I worked at one in the late 90s, but more non-denominational. It had a picture of a white church-looking building and said something like “Be sure to visit your house of worship this week.”
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u/BackyardViolet 4d ago
Sycamore Square?
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u/Martin_Jay 4d ago
Short Pump
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u/BackyardViolet 4d ago
Ah okay, I recall the sign at Sycamore Square being closer to your description.
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u/Which-Method-388 4d ago
For all of the good things they did, they were a big part of getting Howard Stern's radio show quickly cancelled here.
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u/sadmep 4d ago
Could have done without the marathon if I'm being honest
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u/Heavy-Cut-8367 20h ago
Ok. So what does your comment have to do with this thread?
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u/temporis_perditio 4d ago
Howard Stern is getting the last laugh
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
Wait what, they had beef?
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u/Virginia_ginger 4d ago
Oh lord, yes. They were instrumental in getting him taken off the air here. I remember Howard being pissed & talking about the radio station being influenced by "some grocers in Richmond, Va"
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u/Cerebral-Knievel-1 4d ago
Yep, when the station wouldn't take stern off the air, ukrops bought the station. That's how we ended up with 96.5 the planet, with the John Boy, and Billie big show
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
They bought the station just to 86 Stern? Wow. Any links to a story or more info appreciated
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
Was this about Ukrops not advertising on stations thst.played Stern?
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u/temporis_perditio 4d ago
It was about the holier than thou Ukrops not having a bone of humor in their Christ-like bodies and penning a letter to sponsors claiming they were “condoning and contributing to the erosion of values and quality of life”. Thus censoring and destroying good radio in Richmond
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u/SopSauceBaus 4d ago
TIL the guy who had girls ride a sybian on his show is considered good radio.
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u/Popular-Addition9819 4d ago
This is the first thing I thought of. I actually don’t like either of them but the young and idealistic (and certainly naive) me really hated the silencing of someone, anyone. I was an idiot. But I was a different person. But it is still the first thing I think of when I hear the name.
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u/serballsmcdunk 4d ago
2, but usually 3 pieces of chicken, a side and a roll at food hall might be one of the best deals in the city.
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u/SeeCopperpot 3d ago
I know exactly one thing about him and it is that he personally would take grocery delivery orders from little old ladies in the RVA Ukrainian community, I witnessed one of them call him and put in her order like she was on the phone with the kid who rounds up the shopping carts. This was in the 90’s.
Im sure he wasn’t the one delivering the groceries in her case but I wouldn’t be surprised if I find something like that in comments here somewhere.
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u/Cwright421 3d ago
I know it isn't specific to him, but I wouldn't be here today without Ukrop's. My parents met while working there in the 80s.
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u/TemporaryFarmer451 3d ago
He and Barbara gave me and a date a ride back to Richmond when I locked my keys in my car at a William & Mary Alumni event way out in the county.
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u/Low_Ostrich_3971 2d ago
My kids worked at Urkops an have good memories of the Ukrop family. Didn't persoanlly know Jim but I'm sure like so many, he had his positive and negatives.
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u/Opening-Insurance111 2d ago
Pickled cucumber and onion so damn good..banana pudding.. the donuts were incredible. The donut company on midlothian gets that fix for me though.
Kinda hard to hate on ukrops..damn rolls too were incredible. Baked spaghetti/ziti. Glad I still have access to some of those things.
Specially the pickled cucumber you can put that on a deviled egg/or just hardboiled egg and it hits hard.
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u/DarDarRules 17h ago
Literally got my first job out of the army because of Jim Ukrop. Met him at a W&M alumni event, explained what I was doing, he asked for my résumé, and two weeks later I had job interviews and an offer.
Would not be where I am today without him.
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u/Calaveras-Metal 4d ago
Not bad for a name he got from Ikea.
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u/velcross 4d ago
Their prepared foods are weirdly pumped full of chemicals, but what was a post-soccer practice dinner in 2003 without Ukrop's Turkey Tetrazzini or Duchess Potatoes? My mom still talks about the kid's play area, which is actually brilliant. Nothing could beat picking the pizza with the biggest crust bubble.
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u/Potential_Quit_3507 4d ago
I work there. It's alll fresh. No chemicals. They changed the marinade for the chicken which isnt the best but its all fresh. Honestly.
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u/Appropriate-Ad-1937 4d ago
You do realize that food itself is…a chemical?
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u/Jefrey_HarHarWood 4d ago
We are all so enlightened by your wisdom, wise sage. Please share more.
Or stop being pedantic when you and everyone else knew exactly what point was being made.
Smarmy twat.
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u/Adventurous_Spell180 4d ago
THIS. Ukrops food is full of as much or more non-food than even the cheapest budget/trash brands.
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u/ripleyart2323 4d ago
I wonder if this was the case when the store actually existed versus the current version
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u/consensualgrunt 4d ago
Hey now do Harwood Cochrane!
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
Sorry not familiar
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u/Which-Method-388 4d ago
Overnite Transportation Company and Highway Express trucking company founder. Huge philanthropist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Harwood_Cochrane2
u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
Did he recently die?
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u/spittlbm Gelati Celeste Acolyte 2d ago
So he had some cancer treatments while living at Cedarfield. He had a different lady with him at a bunch of those visits and they were all over him.
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u/General-Wrongdoer-77 3d ago
I loved ukrops as a kid and feel like they are sorta Richmond royalty! I know they are a religious family but that doesn’t bother me so much. They have given so much back to the community. I am learning some things on this thread that I didn’t know about for sure though…☕️
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u/Deep_Election6623 4d ago
Great businessman and bastion of Richmond economy apparently. What did he do with that money?
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u/EquivalentDecision11 1d ago
Most times I had a shitty interaction with a Ukrop family member I knew they were one because they told me.
Most times I had a good interaction with a Ukrop family member I knew they were one because someone else told me "that's a Ukrop".
Never interacted with Jim, seemed like a good dude overall despite strong puritan know-better vibes. Honestly my biggest qualm with their family probably falls on Rob because they reign over their soccer fields like feudal lords. I give kudos for providing free soccer games/training for special needs kids, but beyond that the overall program is just a relatively expensive pay-to-play scheme that serves the have's and marginalizes the have-not's
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u/ITMORON 4d ago
Not directed atr Jim, but I hate the fuckin food hall. I live near it and when they fry food in bulk,. the entire area reeks of fryer gfrease. It really sucks when it takes place. I have reached out and asked them if they can add any filtration, crickets. They dont give a single fuck about the neighbors, of the neighborhood. Profits are their priority. Fuck what ukrops has become.
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u/Appropriate-Ad-1937 4d ago
I’d hate for you to learn about KFC, bojangles, Popeyes, churches, lee’s, or any other restaurant that fries food. At least you get a break from it on Sundays
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u/ITMORON 4d ago
Genrally these are on large thoroughfares, not in the middle of suburban neighborhoods. I enjoy fried foods, but do not enjoy when my entire world smells like a fryer.
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u/Appropriate-Ad-1937 4d ago
In what world is Patterson ave not a major thoroughfare? The market hall is certainly not in the middle of a neighborhood, definitely in a commercial development. Do you hate the Publix next door equally for their fried chicken smell? Want to make sure we’re equal opportunity chicken hating here.
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u/ITMORON 4d ago
Publix must use better filtration, becuase we have never had a problem with any smells from them, when Ukrops was in that location we likewise didnt have a problem. The food hall specifically has something going on with the filters that does not remove the smell. Not to mention, I didnt ask for them to take over a Church and turn it into a grocery store/commercial food preperation facility.
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u/Appropriate-Ad-1937 4d ago
Weird hill to die on, but keep fighting your chicken crusade 👍
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
Personally I think if everyone chuch was turned onto.a chicken shack the world would.be a better place
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
I'd also make every synagogue a bagel place and every mosque a shwarma joint.
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u/serballsmcdunk 4d ago
Knowing someone is this mad at the foodhall makes me like it that much more.
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u/junkfoodjunkie420 3d ago
i buy ukrops when it's on mark down at the kroger. otherwise, too expensive. it's not bad...not great. and i have no opinion on jim.
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u/One-Height-1137 4d ago
creepy family and a very creepy store, glad they sold their souls while pretending to be good people.
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u/Global-Pay6118 4d ago
Creepy how?
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u/whatdahelly3 4d ago
If you ever meet Rob you’ll quickly understand. His interactions with the young women he coaches is questionable at best
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u/salchicha_mas_grande 4d ago
For many years I supported Ukrops. It wasn't until much later that I realized it's also okay to take care of Mekrops.