New stores in Greencastle and Chambersburg will be open on Sundays
The Echo Pilot
This story was updated to correct a misspelling/typo.
Sunnyway Foods’ long-standing pair of local grocery stores is being sold to Weis Markets, which has nearly 200 stores in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The Sunnyway stores at 212 N. Antrim Way, Greencastle, and 49 Warm Spring Road, Chambersburg, will close Saturday, Oct. 19, according to Dean Martin, president of Sunnway Foods.
Other business news:L&L Creations buys, moves to Avocado Cafe in Chambersburg
Settlement is set for Monday, Oct. 21, and the two stores will be closed for a maximum of two weeks before reopening as Weis Markets, Martin said.
Customers have expressed mostly shock and a little disappointment and will miss Sunnyway’s deli, doughnuts, cakes and meat departments, Martin said.
He noted Weis Markets, unlike most grocery stores, still cuts and grinds it meat onsite.
Weis Markets also processes its own milk from Pennsylvania dairy farms and uses the excess butter fat to make Weis Quality Ice Cream, according to the company website, which notes the chain also “purchases more than 25 million pounds of locally grown produce each year.”
How both are family businesses
Both Sunnyway and Weis have deep family roots in the grocery industry.
Weis is “very big, but it’s still a family business,” said Martin, whose parents Margaret Martin and the late Aldine Martin opened Sunnyway Foods at 200 N. Antrim Way, Greencastle, April 1, 1955.
The store moved next door to 212 N. Antrim Way in 1965, and the Chambersburg Sunnyway opened at the intersection of Warm Spring Road and Lincoln Way West in 1973.
Dean Martin’s brother, Mike, is secretary-treasurer of the business, and Dean’s son, Tanner, was going to be his father’s prote?ge?.
Harry and Sigmund Weis founded Weis Markets in 1912, when they opened a small neighborhood store known as Weis Pure Foods on Market Street in Sunbury, Pa., according to the Weis website. Today, Harry’s grandson, Jonathan Weis, oversees the company with 196 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Virginia and West Virginia.
What to know about the sale
There have been many offers to purchase Sunnyway over the years, the most recent from Weis over the last couple of months.
The owners originally said “no” until receiving “an offer we couldn’t refuse,” according to Dean Martin, who declined to share the price.
“It was time,” he added, noting his brother is 62 and he is 61.
They don’t have any specific plans and “our focus is to keep moving forward” to the transition.
“It happened so fast we really haven’t had time to process it,” he said. “This is all I’ve done since I was 13.
“It’s been my family’s pleasure to serve the wonderful people of Franklin County for over 69 years. While this move is bittersweet for us, we are comforted knowing that we leave our customers in the capable hands of Weis Markets,” Martin said.
"Sunnyway Foods, the Martin family and its associates are known for their service and dedication to their communities,” Johnathan Weis, chairman and CEO, said in a news release. “As a company with a strong local focus, our goal is to build upon this strong foundation. We look forward to interviewing the associates of these stores for employment with our company.”
One big change is that unlike Sunnyway Markets, Weis stores are open on Sundays.
The new Weis Markets will join other nearby stores on Wayne Avenue, Chambersburg, and West King Street, Shippensburg, in Pennsylvania; and Shank Farm Way and Eastern Boulevard North, Hagerstown, and Chase Six Boulevard, Boonsboro, in Maryland
What are Patriot’s plans for another Sunnyway property?
The pending sale is the second development for Sunnyway property on North Antrim Way in Greencastle. Soon after the Martins moved to the larger store in 1965, Rite Aid moved into the original building at 200 N. Antrim Way.
Also on North Antrim Way:Patriot Federal Credit Union buying former Rite Aid site in Greencastle
The drug store closed early this year and in April it was announced Patriot Federal Credit Union plans to purchase the property, tear down the old building and build a modern, full-service facility. The sale is still in process, Martin said.
“We are very excited to partner with the Martin family to purchase this property for our future Greencastle branch,” said Ron Celaschi, president of Patriot, said in April. “For several years our team has been identifying potential sites for a branch, and we believe that this location provides a fantastic opportunity for us to build a new branch to serve the financial needs of the local community and our strong member base in Greencastle and the surrounding area.”