Marc's
| Industry | Retail |
|---|---|
| Founded | Parma, Ohio (1979) |
| Founder(s) | Marc Glassman |
| Headquarters | Middleburg Heights, Ohio |
| Area served | Northeast Ohio |
| Website | marcs.com |
Marc's is a discount drugstore-and-grocery chain, with stores in northern and central Ohio.[1] It is owned by Clevelander Marc Glassman, who also owns Xpect Discounts, a six-store chain in western Connecticut.
Bernie Shulman opened his first mega-discount drug store in Mayfield Heights in the 1970s.[2] In 1979 one of his managers, Marc Glassman, opened his own store, Marc's, on the west side of Cleveland in the Southland Shopping Center in Middleburg Heights.[2] That first store was badly damaged in a fire in October 1980 that started in, and destroyed, the adjacent J.C. Penney department store. Marc's closed for several months, eventually reopening in a larger space at the same location.
Shulman died in 1976. Following the success of that first Middleburg Heights store, Glassman started building additional Marc's stores. In 1983 he purchased the Bernie Shulman's store.[2] He continued to add new stores throughout the Greater Cleveland area. Stores on the west side of Greater Cleveland were named Marc's and stores on the east side of Greater Cleveland were named Bernie Shulman's both in honor of Shulman and because of the brand recognition.
As the Marc's stores expanded south into Solon and Akron the name recognition grew, Glassman stopped adding Bernie Shulman's drug stores and opened only Marc's — even new stores on the east side. The first of the chain's "superstores" opened in Garfield Heights on June 30, 1992.[3] Later that year, all the former Bernie Shulman's stores were rebranded Marc's. The stores have a "deep-discount image."[3]
The company is rarely discussed in the media. Employees are prohibited from giving interviews; Glassman also does not speak to reporters.[4] Marc's has expanded to nearly 60 stores in the Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown, and Columbus areas.
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[edit] Other Ventures
In the 1980s, Glassman also owned a small deli/grill restaurant next to the Middleburg Heights/Southland store. That restaurant closed when the Southland Store expanded into the space occupied by the restaurant. Some of the cooking equipment was moved, and a small grill was set up inside the Marc's store.
In 1987 Glassman purchased, at auction, a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant / video game venue in the Southland Shopping center just behind the Marc's store. It was converted into Marc's Funtime Pizza Palace. Similar in operation to a Chuck E. Cheese, it was a popular place for children's birthday parties. About a year later a second Chuck E. Cheese was purchased and converted in nearby North Olmsted, and then as the Chuck E. Cheese franchise vacated the market, Glassman acquired and converted several venues in the Greater Cleveland area. By 2004 all the Marc's Funtime Pizza Palace locations were closed. The original Marc's Funtime at Southland was demolished along with the entire strip of stores to make way for a BJ's Wholesale Club.
In 1994 Glassman purchased the Dover Lake Waterpark in Sagamore Hills, Ohio which he operated until 2005.[5] The park was sold in 2006 to the Brandywine Ski Resort which used the property for expansion.[5]
Several years later, Xpect Discounts was created; all six of its stores are in Connecticut.
[edit] Locations
- Middleburg Heights,Southland Shopping Center(Orignal Store) Opened 1979
- Mayfield Heights,Eastgate Shopping Center
- Cleveland,Lorain Avenue
- North Olmsted,Great Northern Shopping Center
- Canton,30th Street Plaza
- Alliance,West State Street
- Aurora,Aurora Commons Circle
- Austintown,Mahoning Avenue
- Avon,Detroit Road
- North Canton,Belden Village
- Berea,West Bagley Road
- Boardman,Tiffanny Boulevard
- Broadview Heights,Broadview Road
- BrookPark,Brookgate Shopping Center
- Brooklyn,Northcliff Avenue
- Brunswick,Center Road
- Cuyahoga Falls,Chapel Hill
- Chardon,Water Street
- Cleveland Heights,Coventry Road
- Cuyahoga Falls,State Road
- Fairlawn,West Market Street
- Garfield Heights,Rockside Road
- Hartville,West Maple Street
- Kamms Corner,Lorain Avenue
- Euclid Lakeshore,Lakeshore Boulevard
- Lakewood,Detroit Avenue
- Willoughby Hills,Loehmann's Plaza
- Madison,North Ridge Road
- Massillon-Amherst,Amherst Road
- South Euclid,Mayfield Road
- Medina,North Court Street
- Mentor,Mentor Avenue
- Mentor on the Lake,Andrews Road
- Parma,Snow Road
- Elyria,Midway Mall
- Niles,Youngstown-Warren Road
- North Canton,North Main Street
- North Ridgeville,Center Ridge Road
- Painesville,Mentor Avenue
- Parmatown,West Ridgewood Drive
- Cleveland,Puritas Avenue
- Ravenna,East Main Street
- Rocky River,Center Ridge Road
- Sagamore Hills,West Aurora Road
- Salem,East State Street
- Sheffield,Sheffield Center
- Solon,S.O.M. Center Road
- Akron Springfield,East Waterloo Road
- Stow,Darrow Road
- Strongsville,Pearl Road
- Columbus,Upper Arlington,West Henderson Road
- Akron Waterloo,South Plaza (Opened 1991).
- Canton,West Tuscarawas Street
- Westerville,Huber Village Boulevard
- Westlake,Detroit Road
- Willowick,Lakeshore Boulevard
[edit] Former Locations
- Akron Romig Road, Opened 1992,Closed 2004
- South Euclid Cedar Center, Closed 2008
- Akron Montrose, Opened 1992,Closed 1993.
[edit] References
- ^ "Marc's succeeds on its terms.". Chain Drug Review. 1999-04-26. http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-492421_ITM. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b c "Unorthodox approach pays big dividends for Marc's". 4/24/1994. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3007/is_n9_v16/ai_n28638880/. Retrieved 12/15/2011.
- ^ a b "Glassman's empire adds its 'jewel in the crown'". Drug Store News. 1992. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3374/is_n14_v14/ai_12510139/.
- ^ "Marc's drives its business with everyday low pricing.". Chain Drug Review. 1997-04-28. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-19621180.html. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ a b Marotta, Eric (Jan. 17), Dover Lake tapped for ski area growth: Brandywine buys park, plans to expand, http://www.the-news-leader.com/news/article/1491072, retrieved Dec. 17, 2011
[edit] External links
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