<p>James Kowalski, 67, founder of Kowalski’s Markets, passed away Thursday while on a fishing trip in Canada.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> Kowalski’s Woodbury-based company began in 1983 with a single store, a former Red Owl, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. With his wife, co-owner Mary Anne, Kowalski opened a second supermarket in White Bear Lake and continued expanding the company in the 2000s with outlets in Eagan, Eden Prairie, Woodbury, and Oak Park Heights, along with two stores in south Minneapolis and another in the city’s Uptown area. From then on, the small upscale grocery store chain continued to thrive despite increasing competition from giant national grocery businesses.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> John Dean, a Twin Cities supermarket consultant, called Kowalski’s “a true family business” and that Jim “was the cornerstone,” according to local reports. The company has long been known for its high-quality fruits, vegetables, and meats.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> “Jim was a visionary and he certainly will be missed,” said Dean.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"> AndNowUKnow would like to extend our deepest condolences to his friends and family.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
