Monnettes' Market

Monnettes' Market is a chain of separately owned produce markets and deli specialty stores in the Toledo, Ohio area. The markets are all independently owned and are known for^{[citation needed]} their high-quality produce, low prices, and "small town" style service.

History

Monnettes' Market was founded in 1951 by John Monnette, Sr. John's father owned a small carry out on Tremainsville Road in the Wernert's Corner area in West Toledo. John, unsatisfied with the business of selling beer and wine, asked his father if he could sell his home grown fruits and vegetables outside his store.

After getting his father's approval, John grew his own vegetables and added variety by going to the local farmers market. He built a stand outside the carry out to sell his products. At the end of his first day in business, John had made a profit of $97.00. Realizing that he had a major business opportunity on his hands, John added a few more fruits and vegetables to his line and soon set up an area inside the store to sell his produce. John's father noticed that his son's business was beginning to take off and he built an entire addition to his liquor store which was dedicated to fruits and vegetables.

Current Stores

As time went on and the business grew, John's children soon began opening their own stores under the Monnette's Market name in other areas of Toledo. Michael Monnette opened a store on Reynolds Road in South Toledo, and brother Marc converted an old gas station into another market on Glendale Avenue in South Toledo. Eventually another brother, John Monnette Jr., bought the Reynolds Road store and Mike and Marc went into a partnership. Mike and Marc added the first deli to the Glendale Store and in 2005, opened a new store on the corner of Monroe and Alexis in Sylvania, Ohio which closed in 2011. John's daughter Linda, along with her husband JD, bought the old store on Tremainsville Road in 1994. In June 2006, JD and Linda opened a brand new store on Secor Road about a mile from the old store, and the original Monnettes' Market was sold to a flooring company.

Monnettes' has managed to avoid many of the modern methods of operating a grocery store. They do not use a scanning system like many supermarkets, instead all cashiers memorize every price of every product in the store. Cashiers are required to take a walk-through before their shift to look at prices, because they can change multiple times each day.

Each store typically employs two managers, one for Produce and the store overall, and usually one Deli Manager, who assist the owners in daily store operations.

Products

Fruits and vegetables continue to be the staple of all three Markets. Early on three weekday mornings, the buyers travel to Detroit, Michigan and personally examine all produce that they buy, often hand selecting the highest quality items.

All three stores also feature full-service deli departments. They feature Troyer cheeses and Boar's Head meats, and also provide freshly made salads. The Glendale store also sells fresh meat such as steaks, chicken, and ground beef.

The prices at Monnettes' are also a well-known^{[citation needed]} feature of the company. Because they personally select their products weekly and maintain personal relationships with their suppliers, unlike their big-box competitors such as Kroger or Meijer, Monnettes' is able to keep their prices low, sometimes with no profit or even a loss on items.

External links

• Monnettes' Market website