Back in 1966, Yorktown-based Marsh Supermarkets made a bold move by jumping headfirst into the booming convenience store market. Four decades later, their bet paid off- Village Pantry had grown into a 154-store chain stretching across Indiana and Ohio! These days, many of the original locations have been repurposed into second or even third lives. Each carries a part of Marsh’s legacy with them, and I can’t resist snapping a photo.
Marsh’s third in the city, the Village Pantry at 1990 West Main Street in Richmond opened in 1974. The 2,500-square-foot store stocked 3,000 items and was open from seven a.m. to midnight all week1. Unfortunately, the operation closed in 1976 after officials cited a lack of business and a high rate of shoplifting2. By 1981, 1990 West Main was home to Catey’s Nautilus, a family fitness center3.
By 1990, the building served Living Word Christian Fellowship. Today, the old convenience store -enormously expanded- is part of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County’s Club Teen Center4. Only the western wing is recognizable as a Mansard-style Village Pantry.
Sources Cited
1 New Village Pantry Will Open May 23 (1974, May 17). The Richmond Palladium-Item. p. 5.
2 Far West Side Village Pantry Closes Doors (1976, January 11). The Richmond Palladium-Item. p.30.
3 Catey’s Nautilus (1981, December 3). The Richmond Palladium-Item. p. 16.
4 Emery, M.M. (2023, October 4). Teen center opens, tween club renovated. The Western Wayne News. Web. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
