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G. F. Buche Co. Mission Statement
To provide our customers with excellent customer service along with quality
products at a fair price.

History
Since 1905

       

August (Gus) Francis Buche: A Man Ahead of His Time Gus Buche was truly a pioneer merchant of South Dakota. Most folks in our area know some of the dates and history of Gus and GF Buche Co. The following are some little know facts about Gus Buche and how he was indeed, a man ahead of his time.



After beginning the Lake Andes business in 1905, Gus worked hard and had very little time for family. So, it was no surprise that Gus met Catherine Forrestall, his future bride in 1914, after she answered an ad in the Sioux City newspaper for milliner (women’s hat maker) in Gus’s Lake Andes location. Catherine was living in Osage, Minnesota, at the time. She obviously accepted the job and they married in 1916.

As well as being a retailer, Gus accomplished many other feats he certainly could be proud of. He was a South Dakota Democratic senator from 1933 to 1935, and was instrumental in originating the South Dakota state sales tax. Gus played in the South Dakota Sunshine Amateur Baseball League in the 1920’s. Lastly, Gus was one of the originators of the Lake Andes Fish Days celebration which is still going strong today.

Gus Buche definitely is one of the greatest promoters paving the way for a successful company today. In the 1920’s he threw live turkeys off the roof of the Lake Andes store. If you were lucky enough to catch the turkey, you got to keep it. Also during the 1950’s, ping pong balls were dropped from planes over the GF Buche Co. trade area. The ping pong balls had a discount for any customer who caught the ball. However, on one excursion over Presho, SD, the town got more than just ping pong balls. Robert Jr. was in charge of throwing out the ping pong balls that day and his stomach was obviously not quite right. Needless to say, when it was time to drop the ping pong balls over Presho, they received a little of Robert’s lunch as well.

Gus also kept excitement inside the store as Robert Sr., his son and his daughter Jean Ann were on display in the front window many days. These two children would play with toys as a way to demonstrate how they worked. In 1930, Gus put a gold piece inside the Anniversary cake and if you were lucky enough to bite into that slice of cake, you kept the go1d coin. He also had promotions for the kids as well. When the parents would buy beans, the children were able to get a case of candy bars for free. He certainly knew how to win over everyone.

The giveaways Gus had were also exciting. He gave away a Shetland pony during one promotion. Another, he filled his Lincoln car with groceries and had a drawing for all of it. If there was a promotion or gimmick to increase business or make people talk, Gus was right there in the middle of it.

Times were not always so fun and exciting. GF Buche Co. had 22 stores, 17 of which were operated at one time. The Great Depression shut down most of those stores. Gus believed in supporting the local towns he owned businesses in and kept all deposits in those banks. In the 1930’s, all those banks went down and GF Buche Co. lost every penny in them.

Despite the difficult times, Gus never failed to pay an invoice on time even when he lost all the stores in the 1930’s. GF Buche Co. made no profit from 1936 to 1939. In the mid 1940’s, the federal government had an excess profit tax. This excess profit tax had all businesses taxed at 90% of all excess profits in the business. With that being said, when no profits were made in the late 1930’s, most of the GF Buche Co. profit was excess and therefore taxed at 90%. Obviously, this made things very difficult but Gus found a way to survive.

Not only did Gus find a way to survive, but flourish. Because of him and many others along the way, GF Buche Co. has maintained many of the same qualities Gus desired. Gus pioneered his way into the South Dakota Hall of Fame years after his legacy. Even though many changes have been made to GF Buche Co. over the 100 year history, many of Gus’s trademarks still exist today. To us, he will always be remembered as "a man ahead of his time."