UNION CITY, Ohio — Though it has been open and serving Union City customers for a few weeks now, Sutton’s Foods held an official grand opening and ribbon cutting Thursday. The ceremony was hosted by the Darke County Chamber of Commerce.
The Union City Sutton’s is housed in the former Marsh Supermarket building at 731 East Elm Street, which closed its doors in May. It employs approximately 40 people, a good number of whom previously worked for Marsh. It has undergone extensive renovations inside and out.
The Union City Sutton’s is the second Sutton’s to open for business. The original Sutton’s Foods, in Arcanum, is a longtime institution. It was founded in 1934 by Roy and Nola Sutton. The grocery is currently owned by Kirby and Lori Sutton, third-generation owners, with Josh Urlage and his wife Shala actively involved in its operation.
Denise Beam, treasurer of the Union City Chamber of Commerce, was on hand with other chamber members to officially welcome Sutton’s to the business community.
“We’re overwhelmed and thrilled that they filled a vacancy left empty when Marsh Corporation decided to leave Union City,” she said. “We’re very supportive of them, we couldn’t be happier that they’ve chosen Union City to open their second store.”
Asked to comment on Sutton’s retaining many former Marsh employees, Beam expressed enthusiasm.
“That’s great, because we were losing jobs, and people who work here have to pay city income tax, so the city was losing funds. It’s just a win-win situation for everybody.”
In recognition, the Union City Chamber of Commerce has named Sutton’s its September “Business of the Month.”
“I’m so super thankful to be a part of this community,” Sutton’s Vice President Josh Urlage told those gathered to cut the ribbon. “We all are thankful to be a part of the Union City community.”
Sharon Deschambeau, Darke County Chamber of Commerce President, was joined by fellow chamber members to welcome Sutton’s management and staff. She told the gathering, “I can speak to what this store means to this community. The Sutton Family has been in Arcanum a long time, a strong contributor and participant in the Arcanum and Darke County communities, and I know that you’re going to do the same thing here.”
Bart Feight, store manager at Union City Sutton’s, was the former manager of the Union City Marsh supermarket and among the employees retained. He expressed great satisfaction with the switch to new ownership.
“Everybody’s been working hard to get to today,” he said. “Sales are improving. They’ve really done a lot for this store. They’ve spent way more money than Marsh ever did on it, improving the outside of the building and the inside, and they’re not done yet. It’s pretty exciting. We have a lot going on.”
Urlage called the community response “overwhelming.”
“We’re grateful and thankful that we’re here,” he said. “[The community here] went for a couple months without a full-service grocery store in town. For folks who had to drive 15 or 20 miles to get groceries, that’s a big deal. So we’re thankful that we’re able to be here and serve the community.”
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