OIL CITY, Pa. (EYT) — The new owners of Heath’s Market in Oil City will be celebrating their one year anniversary on Saturday, March 2.
Although the most recent proprietorship of Heath’s Market located at 220 Bishop Avenue has only been in business for a year, the market has a much longer history in Oil City.
It was originally opened by Sonny Heath in the 1960s. Then, during the early 1970s, it was purchased by Jim Aikins in partnership with Jack Williams.
Aikens and his wife ran the store for around forty years until he decided to close the doors and retire about five years ago. Nevertheless, while Aikins was ready to say goodbye to the business, the local community was not.
According to Rebecca Colvin, one of the current owners, the closure of the market upset many people in the area.
“It had been there since the 60s, and people didn’t want to see it close,” Colvin told exploreVenango.com.
Following the store’s closure, Colvin and her sister, Heidi Wise, began to discuss the idea of purchasing the store and running it themselves.
“My father was a butcher there, and we grew up in that store,” Colvin said. “My sister and I talked, and this past year we just thought — if we’re going to do it, then we should do it — and we dove in head first.”