Many baby boomers may still remember the jingle, from the 80s and 90s, for Fremin’s Food and Furniture: You’ve got a friend at Fre…min’s.  The Fremin family has been in business in New Iberia since 1941, when Wilton ad Bertha Fremin opened a general merchandise store.  In 1952 their son Rayward and wife Velta became involved in the business full time, along with Ray’s sister Gail, eventually selling furniture next to the grocery store in 1956.

After relocating a couple of times, the full-service super market and furniture store that customers have come to know on West Admiral Doyle opened in 1983, with Rayward as sole owner.

Decades before then, he would involve his nine children in the business, taking the whole family to markets and soliciting their opinions when they were old enough, grooming them for the day he would “pass the torch.”

Today, brothers and co-owners, David and Ross Fremin look back on what they say was a good life growing up in the store.  As early as age 7, they were charged with dusting shelves and bagging cleaned chickens, potatoes and onions. 

“Dad was running the business, but he taught us as we went along and he taught us not to be intimidated,” David explains.  Ross remembers being 13 when he wrote his first liquor order for the store.  The boys proved themselves capable and were on the payroll by the time they were 16. 

The brothers offer advice to family members who may be starting out in business together.  “You have to be tolerant,” David cautions. “We’ll talk about an idea until it’s a fit – or not.”  Ross nods in agreement adding, “You’re not always going to get your way; you have to be prepared for the fact that you might get out voted.”

Ross and David also pass their experience and knowledge to their sons currently involved in the business, along with a slew of other family members who work in the stores, including grandchildren. 

Some things, however, you have to learn through experience.

After a fire last March destroyed the furniture warehouse and its contents, and damaged the grocery store, the family pulled together and worked to reopen, doing many renovations themselves.  The stores reopened last fall and just last month, Fremin’s celebrated a grand re-opening.  It was a celebration of perseverance and family bond as much as the continuation of a family legacy.