‘The least important thing Alex does is clean,’ says grocery general manager

“Probably the least important thing Alex does here is clean,” says Wes Worthen, general manager of Dan’s Food Market, a family-owned business in Leavenworth.

For Wes, the most important asset that Alex brings to the community grocery store is his outgoing, joyful spirit.

“Alex is one of the most happy-go-lucky people I’ve ever met,” Wes says. “He smiles at everybody; he tells everybody, ‘Hello.’ He’s constantly giving hugs to people he knows, asking how people are doing. And I think that’s the biggest thing: People love seeing him here. He’s just a joy all the time.”

As if to underscore Wes’s observation, a young woman ran up to Alex for a hug and to ask how he’s doing. She knows Alex from working with him at another job in town.

Despite Alex’s cheerful extroversion, greeting his many friends while on the job doesn’t distract him from what he’s at Dan’s Market to do.

“He also works hard; he does a great job cleaning,” Wes says.

For the past four or fives years, Alex has worked two days a week at the market. Besides cleaning, he also directs customers to things they’re looking for when they ask for help.

Alex’s mom, Barb, visits him at Dan’s Market.

When federal law changed in 2019 that regulated employment for people with developmental disabilities, many employers could not keep their differently abled employees, and so many people lost jobs they loved. But Dan’s Market adapted to the changes to keep Alex on its team.

“It just was never a question for us,” Wes says. “People coming in and not seeing Alex would be a detriment [to our business].”

As a pillar of Leavenworth’s local economy, Dan’s Market is as central to its tight-knit, small-town feel as The Five Amigos who live at The Dwelling Place.

“They just bring smiles to everybody’s faces,” Wes says. “They’re so friendly and fun-loving. They’re just happiness.”