MARANA, Ariz. (KGUN) — After years of many residents waiting, a new grocery store has opened in the Gladden Farms community in Marana.
The Fry’s Marketplace is located on Tangerine Road near the intersection with Lon Adams Road.
The project had been in the works for many years. Marana Mayor Ed Honea says it had been put on pause for a while because of the Great Recession of 2008.
“People have been asking me for 17 years, ‘when’s the store going to open?’ I say, ‘soon…soon.’ Well folks, it’s open,” Mayor Honea said.
The grand opening took place on Wednesday, October 16, at 7 a.m. Before the official ribbon-cutting and opening of the store, shoppers were already lined up around the store building and parking lot. The parking lot also filled up, and people had to park on nearby streets.
Marana resident Leeroy Ron was one of many lined up early on Wednesday morning.
“We were told 7 a.m. was the grand opening, so we’re like 6:30, we’ll be early, we’ll be good,” Ron said. “Oh my! I was like midway in line. There were probably maybe 250 people in front of us.”
Much of the excitement from the community comes from the increased accessibility now of getting groceries.
“We’re glad,” Marana resident Judy Gifford said. “It should’ve been open a long time ago, because it takes us 30 minutes from where we live to get to town and shop at the Fry’s on Silverbell.”
The two nearest Fry’s and Safeway are each about ten miles south of this new location, an area with thousands of families that is continuously growing.
“It’s going to have less people on our roads and it’s just going to be a great service for the people that live in our neighborhoods,” the mayor said.
To help in the celebration, the Marana High School cheer team and band welcomed people into the store. There were also giveaways and samples. The store employs over 300 people and is now open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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Madison Thomas joined KGUN 9 in July of 2023 as a multimedia journalist. She graduated from Arizona State University in May of 2023 with a degree in journalism and mass communication. She has lived in Arizona her entire life and grew up in Douglas. Madison is thrilled to share the stories from the community she grew up in. Share your story ideas and important issues with Madison by emailing madison.thomas@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
