Read time: 4 min.

For a city its size, Muncie punches far above its weight when it comes to neon. Our vintage McDonald’s and Arby’s signs are famous from coast to coast, and hometown fixtures like Oasis Bar & Grill and Tom Cherry Mufflers proudly keep the glow alive. Still, if I had to pick a favorite, it’s the one out front of Wise Country Market at 1700 North Walnut Street.

Wise Country Market traces its roots to Wise Food Markets, a homegrown operation launched in 1937 when O. G. Wise opened a frozen food locker and cannery on North Walnut Street. Ten years later, he transformed the cannery into a full-fledged neighborhood grocery¹. Growth followed: in 1955, Wise expanded the brand with a second supermarket on East Memorial Drive².

Duane Wise eventually took the reins from his father and ushered the company into a new era of growth. In 1977, he oversaw the construction of a modern 24,000-square-foot supermarket built alongside the original Walnut Street store³. That expansion set the stage for the next chapter: in 1985, Wise Country Market opened at the south end of the Walnut Street complex⁴.

As you can imagine of an outfit called Wise, the chain prominently featured an owl mascot in its advertisements. Neon signs featuring the Wise Owl were eventually erected at both supermarkets. The fixtures were landmarks! Unfortunately, what happened to the Owl on Walnut Street is a mystery: it seems to have gone the way of the dodo after road work was completed. 

Wise was purchased by Muncie-based Ross Supermarkets in 1997⁶. Indianapolis-based Marsh bought Ross in 2000⁷. The chain’s new owners converted the Wise on Walnut Street into a Marsh supermarket and transformed the Memorial Drive location into Savin*$, an ALDI-style format⁸. Through all the changes, the Wise Owl sign continued to stand- even with Savin*$ branding. 

Marsh closed Savin*$ in 2006. Seven or eight years later, its landmark was removed, restored by Advanced Signs, and reinstalled at Wise Country Market⁹ on Walnut Street, where it proudly stands complete with its waving wing. Today, the sign does what great neon has always done best: stop you in your tracks, spark a memory, and remind you that some pieces of the past are worth saving- especially when they still light up the night.

Sources Cited
1 Yencer, R. Ross buys Wise Food Markets (1997, October 10). The Muncie Star Press. P. 1.
2 (See footnote 1). 
3 Wise Plans Super Supermarket (1977, May 22). The Muncie Star. p. 35. 
4 Grand Opening (1985, June 27). The Muncie Evening Press. p. 18.
5 Wise, L. Lost Muncie (2019, May 9). Thanks everyone! Love the comments and all of the likes! The owl sign that we use now was taken down [Comment]. Facebook. 
6 (See footnote 1). 
7 Francisco, B. (2000, May 5). Marsh buys Ross. The Muncie Star Press. p. 1.
8 Marsh set to open second Savin*$ store (2000, October 29). The Muncie Star Press. p. 39. 
9 Mader, G. Lost Muncie (2014, March 28). This was from Memorial. My company (Advanced Signs) reconditioned this for Dwayne Wise Christmas gift. Originally they wanted it for [Comment]. Facebook.