Marsh Supermarkets made waves around the midwest in 1966 when it entered the fast-growing segment of convenience stores. By the time it was sold to a private equity firm forty years later, Marsh operated 154 Village Pantries around Indiana and Ohio! The oldest have been repurposed, and I try to take pictures when I run across them.
The very first Village Pantry stood at 3303 East Memorial Drive in Muncie. Designed by architect George Cox1, the 2,500-square-foot store cost $42,000 to build. It employed seven people and stocked 3,000 items including a limited grocery line2. The first Village Pantry opened in 1966. In its early years, the chain competed with Miller Dairy’s milk houses.
The first Village Pantry closed in 1985 after a new “Big Orange” Village Pantry opened next door at 1901 South Burlington Drive3. Today, Muncie’s original convenience store is home to an optometry office.
Sources Cited
1 Marsh to Build in Southeast Muncie (1966, October 5). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 23.
2 Marsh Plans New Division (1966, September 19). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 14.
3 Parcel 1124101005000 (2024). Office of the Assessor. Delaware County [Muncie]. Web. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
