Located off State Route 42 and U.S. Highway 33 outside Marysville, Ohio, Village Mart Marathon is best described as a hybrid neighborhood and highway store rolled into one.
Owners Jason and Maggie Walker see “many travelers and work commuters” enter the store daily for an array of signature items, including Hunt Brothers Pizza, breakfast and premade sandwiches, including a legendary offer: The Village Sub consisting of bologna, chopped ham, Cotto salami, Dutch loaf, hot pepper cheese and its own secret sauce.
Appealing heavily to factory workers heading to and from work on a daily basis, the Walkers pride themselves on being a “small hometown neighborhood store.”
“My husband Jason and I grew up in Plain City, about five miles south of the Village Mart,” said Maggie Walker, whose store is 20 miles southeast of Columbus, Ohio. “We care deeply about our community. We do a great job forming relationships with our daily crowd. [We] learn their routines, favorite snacks, what products they typically buy and need. Anything we can do to make their visit special. I believe our neighborhood customers know us and trust us to be friendly, clean, quick and consistent.”
Jason (from right), Maggie Walker and their team at Village Mart Marathon