Korschun Daniel - We are Market Basket : the story of the unlikely grassroots movement that saved a beloved business

Arthur T. Demoulas arrives at the Wyndham Hotel in Andover for a July 2013 meeting where he and his supporters feared he would be fired. It was the first meeting after control of the board of directors shifted from Arthur T. and his family to his cousin and rival, Arthur S. Demoulas.

Courtesy of Lowell Sun/Photographer David H. Brow

The eight managers at the forefront of the rally were, from the left, Dave McLean, Joe Garon, Dean Joyce, Joe Schmidt, Tom Gordon, Tom Trainor, Steve Paulenka, and Jim Lacourse. Combined, they had more than 260 years of experience with the company. McLean quit the day after Arthur T. Demoulas was fired. The rest were fired, along with Michael Kettenbach (not pictured), two days after the boycott began.

Courtesy of Lowell Sun/Photographer David H. Brow

Steve Paulenka, a manager who had been fired a day earlier, waves a stack of signatures of customers and employees demanding that Arthur T. Demoulas be reinstated as CEO.

Courtesy of Lowell Sun/Photographer David H. Brow

This rally, at the Stadium Plaza Market Basket in Tewksbury on July 21, was the first of a series held there in July and August.

Courtesy of Lowell Sun/Photographer David H. Brow

Photo by Daniel Korschun. When customers joined the fight to reinstate Arthur T. Demoulas, they went to many of Market Baskets biggest competitors, such as Hannaford, Stop & Shop, and Shaws. Many returned to their Market Basket on their way home just to tape receipts, such as those above, to the doors as a sign of how they were willing to take their business elsewhere.

Photo by Daniel Korschun. Lawmakers quickly joined the side of Market Basket workers and customers, calling for Arthur T. Demoulas to be reinstated as what was in the best interest of the public. At the microphone is then State Senator Barry Finegold of Andover. To the right is Senator Sal DiDomenico of Everett and State Representative David Nangle of Lowell. Behind DiDomenico is Senator Eileen Donoghue of Lowell.

Photo by Grant Welker. Weeks into the boycott, Market Basket cut the hours of part-time store workers to match falling sales. But employees still stayed loyal to Arthur T. Demoulas, as seen in this photo at top right. Employees also had the support of customers, as is clear in the copy of a Lowell Sun newspaper advertisement at bottom left.

Photo by Daniel Korschun. When Market Basket vendors stopped delivering groceries in protest of Arthur T. Demoulass firing, the first items to disappear were fresh produce, which were typically delivered every day.

Photo by Grant Welker. Empty shelves combined with existing signs, such as in the meat department of this Lowell Market Basket, provided a jarring image during the boycott.

Photo by Daniel Korschun. The Market Basket saga caught the attention of local media, such as WHDH Channel 7 in Boston, seen here in July 2014 at a rally in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, as well as several national media outlets.

Photo by Daniel Korschun. Protesters in front of the Hudson, New Hampshire, store. Rallies and protests held during the summer often included children.

Arthur T. Demoulas returns to Market Baskets Tewksbury headquarters the morning after he reached an agreement with competing shareholders to buy out the company. Here, he climbs onto the truck bed of Steve Paulenka, in the foreground, with a stuffed giraffe in the backgrounda symbol of the employee and customer movement.

Courtesy of Lowell Sun/Photographer David H. Brow

One book written by outside observers can hardly capture every facet of a story that involves millions of people. What we can offer, however, is an account of how this movement came to be told through the eyes of some of its participants. This book is based on dozens of interviews with people involved in a grassroots movement. They generously agreed to be interviewed by us, sharing their personal experiences and giving a valuable window into the Market Basket story. Our sincerest thanks to all the members of the extended Market Basket family, with special thanks to the following associates, vendors, customers, government officials, analysts, and others who opened up to us: