The Independent Edition

Weaver Markets Owner: Michael Weaver Opened:  1962 Cooperative:  none Location:  2610 N Reading Rd, Denver, PA Photographed:  August 20, 2019 Our final store in the Lancaster County group is another massive independent supermarket. The 84,000 square foot Weaver Markets (which previously also had a location in Adamstown) is the only major supermarket between Ephrata and the immediate Reading suburbs -- which, to be clear, is not that long of a distance, about 15 miles. The store is stuck in time in a way, but in the best possible way. Its decor is not up-to-date, but the place is maintained flawlessly. The prices (especially for the "snack bar," which we'll get to) are great, and a lot of the perishables sold here are store-prepared and homemade. My mother and I were in this store, and her first reaction was that it felt familiar. When we thought about it a little bit, we realized this store looks a heck of a lot like how her Pathmark did in the 1980s. The expansive p...

Ebenezer Groceries Owner: Jonah Dodd Opened:  2002 Cooperative:  none Location:  465 N Reading Rd, Ephrata, PA Photographed:  August 20, 2019 One more salvage grocery store in the Lancaster County area for us to see, and it's this one, Ebenezer Groceries! (Obviously there are many more I haven't been to yet, but this is the last one I have visited.) This store is located just outside of Ephrata, PA and appears to be around 30,000 square feet. It's in the front part of a light industrial building with a few other tenants, and it's a nice place with high ceilings, not to mention that it appears to be relatively newly-renovated. We see a lot of new fixtures, freshly painted walls, new carts, and so on. Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be matched with an improved product mix. I found Ebenezer's selection to be even more idiosyncratic than most salvage grocery stores, with general product quality being lower. Produce was noticeably worse than some of the other sto...

Martin's Country Market Owner: John Martin Opened:  1983 Cooperative:  IGA (Family Owned Markets) Location:  1717 W Main St, Ephrata, PA Photographed:  August 20, 2019 It's time for our next Family Owned Markets-affiliated IGA with Martin's Country Market! The 52,000 square foot store was constructed in 1983 along with the rest of the Lincoln Mall, including a furniture store owned by the same family. Speaking of the same family, the owner of this store also owns the John F. Martin brand of meat and deli products (his name is John F. Martin, which will not surprise you). Their cheddar is excellent. The missing letter in the supermarket's sign did not give me high hopes for the store's interior, but I was very pleasantly surprised. According to the store's website , they did a full remodel in 2012. I'm trying to remember the specific layout, but I believe grocery aisles run parallel to the front wall. Bakery, produce, and dairy are on the left-side wall, wi...