Jungle Jim's International Market facts for kids
Current logo
|
|
| Industry | Grocery store |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1971 in Hamilton, Ohio |
| Founder | "Jungle" Jim Bonaminio |
| Headquarters | Fairfield, Ohio,
United States
|
|
Number of locations
|
2 |
|
Area served
|
Cincinnati, Ohio |
Jungle Jim's International Market is a huge and unique grocery store located in Fairfield, Ohio. It also has another store nearby in Union Township. People often call the main store a "theme park of food" because it's so big and has so many interesting things.
This amazing supermarket is about 200,000 square feet, which is like 4.6 acres! It offers one of the biggest selections of wine in the United States. You can also find live seafood tanks and even a cooking school right inside the store.
Every week, about 82,000 shoppers visit Jungle Jim's. The founder, "Jungle" Jim Bonaminio, calls these visitors "foodies." Many of the special foods, especially from international departments, are hard to find anywhere else in the Greater Cincinnati area. Customers sometimes drive from far away just to explore the store's wide variety of food. Jungle Jim's is also famous for its fun animatronics and other cool displays.
History of Jungle Jim's
In 1971, a man named "Jungle" Jim Bonaminio started selling fresh produce from a stand. He set up his stand in a parking lot in Hamilton, Ohio. For the next three years, Jim moved his stand to different empty lots.
Finally, he bought his own piece of land. The city of Fairfield was not sure about letting him open a fruit and vegetable stand there. This was because the land was meant for factories, not stores. But after some talks, the city agreed, and the first store opened in 1975. It was 4,200 square feet in size.
Jim Bonaminio kept making the store bigger and adding more products. He listened to what customers wanted. In 1988, after visiting other special markets, he decided to make his store an international market. He also added the fun "jungle" theme. Today, Jungle Jim's is known for its huge variety of international foods. This includes many different cheeses, unique meats, breads, and wines.
Store Expansion and Growth
Around 2004, Jungle Jim's added a small shopping area next to the main store. This area included other shops like Hallmark and CiCi's Pizza. In 1998, the store bought old monorail trains from Kings Island, a nearby amusement park.
A large station with a giant snake design was built behind the store for the monorail. Another station was built at the Oscar Event Center. This allowed guests to ride the monorail between the two places. There were plans for the monorail to go all the way around the property, but this was never finished.
In 2019, the store opened "The Oscar Station." This is a special bar for bourbon drinks located inside the monorail station. In January 2020, the store announced it was making the front of the main building even bigger. This added 17,000 square feet and made space for new businesses, like Graeter's ice cream.
Jungle Jim's also wanted to open a second, smaller store closer to Cincinnati. A plan was made in 2005, but the project was canceled in 2007. However, on September 25, 2012, Jungle Jim's successfully opened its second location. This new store is in Eastgate.
The Oscar Event Center
The Oscar Event Center is a large space for events. It is 34,100 square feet and is connected to Jungle Jim's International Market. The center is named after "Jungle" Jim's middle name. It first opened in 2007.
Inside the event center, there are several different areas. These include The Main Hall, The Lounge, The Outdoor Terrace, and The Pub. The Oscar Event Center hosts many events throughout the year. Some of these events are the International Craft Beer Festival, Weekend of Fire, and the International Wine Festival.
Jungle Jim's has also been featured on popular TV shows. It appeared on the Food Network show Unwrapped. It was also shown on the History Channel show Modern Marvels. And it was featured on ABC News' Good Morning America.
See also
- Stew Leonard's
