COLUMBUS, Ohio — A family-owned market housed in Clintonville will soon undergo a change in ownership.
The current owners of Weiland’s Market, Jennifer Williams and Scott Bowman, announced Tuesday that on April 1, two longtime managers will take over operations.
Weiland’s Market, a grocery store located at 3600 Indianola Ave., has served the Clintonville and Beechwold communities since its opening in 1961.
Jennifer and Scott bought the store from John Williams, Jennifer’s dad, in 2010 and since then, the two said they have been hands-on owners, devoting their time and energy to the business.
“The store has always been very personal to us, a point of family pride. It’s been about working hard with the Weiland’s team to make the store better and better—about proving that Weiland’s, one of the city’s few remaining independent grocers, could not only survive, but thrive,” their statement said in part.
They said their reason for selling boils down to not having time for much else and being ready for the next chapter.
“Our full commitment to the store has meant that we’ve had little time for anything else in our lives. This was a choice we made in 2010, and we don’t regret it. At the same time, we’re not getting any younger, and you only get one life.”
Jennifer grew up in Clintonville and around Weiland’s. She and Scott met while working at the store in college.
To determine who the next owners would be, the duo said they held their own multi-year version of “Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” to assess which of our team members would be the best fit to take the store to its next chapter.
As a result of the assessment, Daniel Phillips and Andy Russell were chosen to become the store’s next owners beginning on April 1.
“Daniel and Andy are the best choice we could have made. They care about making sure Weiland’s continues; Daniel said he wants to see the store celebrate its 100th birthday, in 2061,” the statement read. “They’ll make a great team because of their complementary skills and different areas of knowledge. They respect the store’s history and its importance to the community. Daniel and Andy know Weiland’s must evolve to stay relevant and thrive (don’t worry, they also know what they shouldn’t change). And, they’re young, which is good because retail is hard work.”
The current owners ended their announcement by thanking the team for their commitment to the store and customers.
“John and George Weiland couldn’t have picked a better neighborhood than Clintonville & Beechwold when they opened Weiland’s Fine Meats on Saturday, June 15, 1961. We hope they would be proud of what their small meat market has become.”
To read the full announcement, click here.