The first City Market was opened in Grand Junction in 1924 by four brothers, Leo, Frank, Paul and Clarence Prinster. By 1939, their stores were called “supermarkets” as they were the first grocery stores in Colorado featuring air conditioning, an intercom system, automatic opening front doors and refrigeration. They opened this store in Durango in 1950 at the corner of 14th Street and Main Avenue. At 22,000 square feet, it was the largest store in their company at the time. A second Durango City Market opened at 32nd Street and Main Avenue in 1978. This original store closed in 1986 and moved to the former Montgomery Ward building in the Town Plaza Shopping Center. That store then became the chain’s largest at 62,000 square feet. Auto Zone is now located at the site of this original Durango City Market. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, edhorvat@animasmuseum.org (Catalog Number: 86.10.1724 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)
The first City Market was opened in Grand Junction in 1924 by four brothers, Leo, Frank, Paul and Clarence Prinster. By 1939, their stores were called “supermarkets” as they were the first grocery stores in Colorado featuring air conditioning, an intercom system, automatic opening front doors and refrigeration. They opened this store in Durango in 1950 at the corner of 14th Street and Main Avenue. At 22,000 square feet, it was the largest store in their company at the time. A second Durango City Market opened at 32nd Street and Main Avenue in 1978. This original store closed in 1986 and moved to the former Montgomery Ward building in the Town Plaza Shopping Center. That store then became the chain’s largest at 62,000 square feet. Auto Zone is now located at the site of this original Durango City Market. – Ed Horvat for Animas Museum, [email protected] (Catalog Number: 86.10.1724 from the La Plata County Historical Society Photo Collections)