Utah Welcomes 2 New Indies

Two independent grocery stores have opened their doors in Utah, both of them Associated Food Stores (AFS) members. One of them, Digby’s Market, has opened its first ground-up location, a 40,000-square-foot store at 1955 Snow Canyon Parkway in St George. The new store features a large assortment of local products from across the Beehive State, as well as from the St George area. 

“As a local company, it is important to us that we have the best items that Utah has to offer,” said Tim Rigby, who owns the store with Gregory Daines. “We call it ‘Better Utah’ because when we support local, it’s better for our local community — but we also believe that local products just happen to be better, too.”

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Along with offering such local items as Switch Point Coffee, Farrs Ice Cream and Red Rock Pistachios, the store was built using local Trussell wood from Pleasant View, Utah. The new store also has an in-house smoker, fresh-made tortillas, a walk-in beer cooler, and a 37-foot counter with an ice cream parlor and in-house gourmet popcorn.

During Digby’s April 20 grand-opening ceremony, Rigby and Daines presented a $5,000 check to Switch Point Coffee to help the company in its mission to end local poverty. 

Meanwhile, in Lehi, Pioneer Market, located at 300 East Main Street, held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening ceremony on April 26 at 10 a.m. The 21,000-square-foot store originally opened as Pioneer Market back in 1969 and underwent numerous name changes throughout the years, most recently operating under the Kohler’s banner. 

“We want to demonstrate we are Lehi’s market, and seeing Lehi’s rich pioneer history and the mascot of the high school that’s walking distance from us, Pioneer Market was a natural fit,” explained store owner Cecil Shern, who purchased the store from the Kohler’s organization in 2019. Shern joined Kohler’s as a pharmacist in 2007.

In addition to a new name, Pioneer Market features an updated look and feel, including a pharmacy drive-thru and an expanded produce department including cut fruit and fresh juice. The store also boasts a new snack and gourmet popcorn station, smoked meats, a deli with hot and ready meals, sushi, and a new expanded floral department.

Customers shopping at Pioneer Market can now earn points to save on groceries or fuel. The new rewards program includes a partnership with locally owned Holiday Oil and from April 26 through April 29, new members receive 50 cents off per gallon when they enroll in the program.

Salt Lake City-based AFS is an independent retailer-owned warehouse that provides complete warehouse facilities and services to more than 400 grocers across the Intermountain West.