How Does The Grocery Gal Keep Rural Grocery Stores Alive?
Published on: Jun 15, 2023
Updated on: November 08, 2026
On this episode of Self-Checkout, Grocery Store Mike and Tyler Kern talk with Jena Good, The Grocery Gal, a third-generation grocer from Southwest Oklahoma, about running rural stores, advocating at the Oklahoma legislature, and why small towns need local grocers. Mike recruits for Frontline Source Group, which backs every direct hire with the 5-Year Placement Warranty.
Prefer to listen elsewhere? Subscribe to Self-Checkout with Grocery Store Mike on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, and find Frontline's other shows at frontlinesourcegroup.com/podcasts.html.
On this page
- Who is on this episode of Self-Checkout?
- Who is Jena Good, The Grocery Gal?
- What does advocacy for local grocery look like?
- What challenges and joys come with rural grocery?
- Why does a grocery and retail recruiter co-host this conversation?
- Does Frontline Source Group have an office in Oklahoma?
- How can Frontline Source Group help with grocery and retail hiring?
- What do listeners ask about The Grocery Gal episode?
Who is on this episode of Self-Checkout?
The episode brings together Tyler Kern and Mike Cook, known as Grocery Store Mike, the Grocery, Retail, and Pharmacy Executive Recruiter at Frontline Source Group, who spent more than 35 years in grocery before moving into executive search. Their guest is Jena Good, The Grocery Gal. Jena joined from the 85th Annual Oklahoma Grocers Association Convention in Oklahoma City, which set the stage for a conversation rooted in the day-to-day realities of independent and rural grocery.
Who is Jena Good, The Grocery Gal?
Jena Good is a third-generation grocer from Southwest Oklahoma. According to a 2020 profile in The Shelby Report, her parents bought Shelton's Grocery in Waurika, Oklahoma, in 1999, when she was about nine, and later opened Walters Hometown Grocery in Walters, about 20 minutes away. Jena works mainly at the Walters store, which she helped build from the ground up, from hiring and training to stocking shelves.
How did Jena end up in the family business?
Jena graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2011 with an English degree and planned to go to law school. She chose to come home and run the stores with her parents instead. Her blog and social channels, The Grocery Gal, promote small-town shopping and the family's two stores, with recipes and product features alongside grocery industry perspective.
What does advocacy for local grocery look like?
Jena talks about her work with the Oklahoma legislature and why the grocery industry needs people in the room when decisions get made. Laws and regulations shape what it costs to run a store and what rules small operators must follow, so her work alongside the Oklahoma Grocers Association is about making sure the independent grocer's perspective is part of the conversation. Her passion for the industry comes through in every part of the discussion.
What challenges and joys come with rural grocery?
Jena gives a candid look at what rural grocery asks of the people who run it: the pressure the COVID-19 pandemic put on small stores, the constant effort to keep people shopping at home in small towns, and the reward of knowing customers by name and being part of their lives.
"I'm trying to figure out how to keep people shopping in small towns."
Jena Good, The Grocery Gal, third-generation Oklahoma grocer at Walters Hometown Grocery and Shelton's Grocery, speaking to Mary Margaret Stewart of The Shelby Report in September 2020
How has rural grocery changed since 1990?
The numbers back up what Jena describes. In its study of rural food retail from 1990 to 2015, the USDA Economic Research Service found that dollar stores in rural counties grew about 150 percent and supercenters about 350 percent, while grocery stores' share of rural food retailers fell 15 percentage points. Food retailers per capita fell 19 percent in rural counties, and the share of rural counties with fewer than 8 food retailers per 10,000 people rose from 11 percent to 27 percent.
Why does one small-town grocery store matter so much?
In 2015, according to the same USDA research, 44 nonmetro counties had no grocery store at all, 40 of them rural, and 115 had only one. The median nonmetro county had just 7 grocery stores. In towns like Waurika and Walters, the local grocer is often the difference between buying food close to home and driving to the next town.
Why does a grocery and retail recruiter co-host this conversation?
Self-Checkout exists because grocery is best understood from the inside. Mike Cook spent decades in grocery before he started recruiting for it, and conversations with operators and advocates like Jena keep Frontline's grocery and retail desk close to how independent and regional stores actually work. Mike and Bill Kasko, Frontline's Founder and CEO, also created the Ronnie Horton Legacy Grocery Scholarship, funded by Frontline and administered by the NGA Foundation for students connected to the independent grocery industry. For more on rural grocery, listen to Mike's episode on how technology is changing rural grocery and his conversation on the future of food and payments.
Does Frontline Source Group have an office in Oklahoma?
Yes. Frontline's Oklahoma City office is at 100 Park Avenue, Suite 700, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, and the firm recruits grocery and retail leaders across Oklahoma and nationwide. All interviews are set by appointment only and we do not allow walk-ins at any location. Everything starts online: candidates apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html, and employers request talent at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html.
How can Frontline Source Group help with grocery and retail hiring?
Frontline Source Group recruits store managers, district and regional managers, multi-unit operations leaders, buyers and category managers, grocery pharmacy leadership, and grocery and retail executives across the country, including for independent and regional grocers. Recent searches include a Hispanic Foods Buyer in Cincinnati and an Assistant Asian Foods Buyer in Fairfield, Ohio. The practice is described at frontlinesourcegroup.com/executive-search-grocery-store-and-retail.html, and the firm's guide to hiring a grocery executive search firm covers what to ask any recruiter before you sign.
Frontline Source Group was founded in Dallas in 2004, operates 32 plus offices nationwide, has completed 5,619 placements, holds a 98.94% executive placement retention rate, and has a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 683 verified reviews along with a 5.0 rating on G2 from validated reviewers. Forbes has named it one of the Best Professional Recruiting Firms for 9 consecutive years (2018 to 2026) and ranked it #148 among 2026 Best Executive Recruiting Firms. It is a 9-time ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both Client and Talent satisfaction, a ClearlyRated Diamond Award recipient, an Inc. 5000 honoree, an Expertise.com Best Staffing Agency, and a member of the American Staffing Association (ASA). Every direct hire is backed by the 5-Year Placement Warranty, 20 times the 90-day industry standard guarantee.
Employers can submit an opening at frontlinesourcegroup.com/employer-request-form.html and review engagement options at frontlinesourcegroup.com/pricing.html. Candidates exploring grocery and retail roles can apply at frontlinesourcegroup.com/how-to-apply.html.
What do listeners ask about The Grocery Gal episode?
What is this episode of the Self-Checkout podcast about?
Grocery Store Mike and Tyler Kern talk with Jena Good, known as The Grocery Gal, a third-generation grocer from Southwest Oklahoma. Recorded while Jena was attending the 85th Annual Oklahoma Grocers Association Convention in Oklahoma City, the conversation covers running rural grocery stores, her advocacy at the Oklahoma legislature, the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, and why supporting local business matters.
Who is Grocery Store Mike?
Grocery Store Mike is Mike Cook, the Grocery, Retail, and Pharmacy Executive Recruiter at Frontline Source Group. He spent more than 35 years in the grocery industry before moving into executive search and co-hosts the Self-Checkout podcast. His bio is at frontlinesourcegroup.com/mike-cook-staffing-services.html.
Who is Jena Good, The Grocery Gal?
Jena Good is a third-generation grocer from Southwest Oklahoma and the voice behind The Grocery Gal, a blog and social media presence that promotes small-town shopping. A 2011 University of Oklahoma graduate with an English degree, she planned on law school before returning home to help run her family's grocery stores. She also advocates for the grocery industry at the Oklahoma legislature.
Which grocery stores does Jena Good's family run?
According to a 2020 profile in The Shelby Report, Jena's parents bought Shelton's Grocery in Waurika, Oklahoma, in 1999 and later opened Walters Hometown Grocery in Walters, Oklahoma, about 20 minutes away. Jena works mainly at the Walters store and helped build it from the ground up, including hiring, training, and stocking.
What challenges do rural and small-town grocers face?
Rural grocers serve smaller populations while competing with dollar stores and supercenters. In the episode, Jena talks about keeping people shopping in small towns and the strain the COVID-19 pandemic added. USDA research found that 44 nonmetro counties had no grocery store at all in 2015 and 115 had only one, so a single store's survival can decide whether a town has a grocer.
How have rural grocery stores changed since 1990?
The USDA Economic Research Service found that from 1990 to 2015, dollar stores grew about 150 percent and supercenters about 350 percent in rural counties, while grocery stores' share of rural food retailers fell 15 percentage points. The share of rural counties with fewer than 8 food retailers per 10,000 people rose from 11 percent to 27 percent.
Why does advocacy matter for the grocery industry?
Laws and regulations shape what it costs to run a store and what rules small operators must follow. Jena's work with the Oklahoma legislature and the Oklahoma Grocers Association is about making sure independent and rural grocers are heard when those decisions are made, so the stores that anchor small towns can keep their doors open.
What is the Oklahoma Grocers Association convention?
It is the annual convention of the Oklahoma Grocers Association, a gathering of grocers, suppliers, and industry partners from across the state. Jena recorded this episode while attending the 85th Annual convention in Oklahoma City.
Where can I listen to the Self-Checkout podcast?
Use the player on this page, or subscribe to Self-Checkout with Grocery Store Mike on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Another rural grocery episode, with Jeff Klaus of Retail Data Systems, is at frontlinesourcegroup.com/blog-how-technology-is-changing-rural-grocery-for-the-better-with-jeff-klaus-of-retail-data-systems.html, and Frontline's other shows are listed at frontlinesourcegroup.com/podcasts.html.
Does Frontline Source Group have an office in Oklahoma?
Yes. Frontline Source Group's Oklahoma City office is at 100 Park Avenue, Suite 700, Oklahoma City, OK 73102, and the firm recruits grocery and retail leaders across Oklahoma and nationwide. All interviews are set by appointment only and we do not allow walk-ins at any location. Details are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/oklahoma-city.html.
What grocery and retail roles does Frontline Source Group recruit for?
Frontline Source Group recruits store managers, district and regional managers, multi-unit operations leaders, buyers and category managers, grocery pharmacy leadership, and grocery and retail executives up to the C-suite, including for independent and regional grocers. The practice is described at frontlinesourcegroup.com/executive-search-grocery-store-and-retail.html.
What is the 5-Year Placement Warranty?
The 5-Year Placement Warranty backs every Frontline Source Group direct hire placement for five years, 20 times longer than the 90-day guarantee that is standard in staffing. Terms are at frontlinesourcegroup.com/5year-placement-guarantee.html.
About the host: Mike Cook, known as Grocery Store Mike, is the Grocery, Retail, and Pharmacy Executive Recruiter at Frontline Source Group, with more than 35 years in the grocery industry before moving into executive search. He co-hosts the Self-Checkout podcast and co-created the Ronnie Horton Legacy Grocery Scholarship. Read more at frontlinesourcegroup.com/mike-cook-staffing-services.html.
