My-Te-Fine Merchant is a biography of Fred G. Meyer, a pioneering Pacific Northwest merchant who created one-strop shopping centers that combined groceries with clothes, drugs, variety items, hardware and many other departments. During a 70-year business career, Meyer evolved from horse-drawn coffee-cart sales to one-stop centers as large as 200,000 square feet in four Northwest states. The self-taught Meyer was a demanding boss known for an abrasive management style behind closed doors. To his customers, he was a beloved icon who provided good value and convenience. This biography relies upon dozens of hours of taped interviews with Meyer's closest associates, made by the Oregon Historical Society and then locked away for more than 20 years. They provide an insider's view into the thinking and evolution of this innovative, aggressive and tireless entrepreneur.
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