In Laurel Village in San Francisco stands a traditional variety store, still bearing the name STANDARD 5-10 & 25¢ and still providing old-fashioned service to San Francisco residents. The story behind the store’s many years of success reads from a page of American history; young immigrant begins his career at the bottom of the hierarchy, and works his way to the top of the company, with his son following in his proud father’s footsteps.

The first Standard Store opened in 1939 on Geary at 19th Avenue in San Francisco. It gained immediate popularity with the neighbors for the outstanding customer service and the wide variety of everyday items available.

GUENTHER LEOPOLD arrived in the United States in 1946, and took a position the next year at the 5 & 10¢ Store. Guenther’s first job was stock clerk, at 50¢ an hour. As a teenager, not only was this a fine salary, but Guenther felt fortunate to have a job.

The next few years brought prosperity and growth to the five-and-dime store, and Guenther assisted in opening the new Standard Stores at Laurel Village and on the Tiburon Boardwalk in 1949. Over the next few years, Guenther put himself through college while gaining additional experience at the stores, and earned his business degree in 1954 from Golden Gate University. Guenther’s employer, Kay Kapstein, later turned the management of the store to his son, Bob Kerner.

Guenther and Bob became associates and partners in the years that followed, and Standard Stores continued to enjoy success under the new leadership. Guenther and Bob opened a store in San Francisco’s Lakeside Village in 1969, and Guenther was named General Manager of Standard Stores in 1970. Guenther attributed the success of the Standard Stores to "the emphasis on providing service at a fair price, and on providing the assortment of goods that clients wanted, at each of our stores."

In 1988, Guenther’s son JEFF LEOPOLD decided to join his father’s business after his graduation from UCLA, and worked with Bob and his father for three years before becoming partner with his father in 1991. Jeff brought a youthful energy and outlook to the business, focusing on both automation and management structure. The store remains independently owned and operated since 1939, passing from one father-son team of Kay Kapstein and his son Bob Kerner, to Guenther and Jeff Leopold.

The California Street store is the only Standard Store remaining today, but the five-and-dime is alive and well in Laurel Village. The store boasts a loyal customer base, many of whom shopped at the 5 & 10 as children, and now bring their own children to the store! Over the years the employees have taken great pride in serving their customers. Standard’s mission is to continue to provide a clean, well-stocked variety store where customers can find a vast array of merchandise and the best service around. Jeff’s theory is that the customer is the star of the show, and he and Guenther are often seen on the floor in Laurel Village helping a valued customer find the precise knicknack needed for a project.

The Leopolds continue the Standard Store’s tradition of quality service, incorporating customer-driven improvements to meet modern demands. In 1992, the father-son team completely remodeled the store, to update the old-fashioned five-and-dime into a more upscale variety store. Two years later, they implemented customers’ recommendations and re-merchandised the store, converting the store pricing to a more visible system. Their valued customers now found the merchandise they wanted, in a more desirable shopping experience. In 1996, they reacted to the customer’s increasing requests for home-related gift items, and added Homeworks, a large gift section showcasing decorative items for the different rooms of the home, and unique items suitable for gift-giving. Standard completed another large-scale renovation in 2004, with significant changes in toys, and in the hardware section, expanding electrical, painting, and plumbing supplies. The variety store stays abreast of the latest trends too, selling hot items including Bakugan, Webkinz, and the latest trading cards.

In addition to these modern improvements, the store still stocks a variety of traditional 5 & 10¢ items, including notions, housewares, toys, stationery, cards, and candy. The days of nickel and dime items may be past, but San Francisco residents can still find traditional service and a variety of goods at the Standard 5 & 10 ACE store in Laurel Village.

MORE STORE HISTORY AND 70TH ANNIVERSARY INFORMATION:
Timeline: www.standard5n10.com/history/timeline.doc
Fact Sheet: www.standard5n10.com/history/fact_sheet.doc
Party Info: www.standard5n10.com/history/party_info.htm
Media Opportunity Flyer: www.standard5n10.com/history/media_opp.doc