Jungle Jim's International Market facts for kids
Current logo
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| Industry | Grocery store |
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| Founded | 1971 in Hamilton, Ohio |
| Founder | "Jungle" Jim Bonaminio |
| Headquarters | Fairfield, Ohio,
United States
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Number of locations
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2 |
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Area served
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Cincinnati, Ohio |
Jungle Jim's International Market is a huge and unique supermarket in Fairfield, Ohio. It also has another store in Union Township, both near Cincinnati. The main store is about 200,000 square feet, which is like 4.6 acres! People often say it's like a theme park for food.
Jungle Jim's has one of the biggest selections of wine in the United States. You can also find live seafood tanks and a cooking school right inside the store. Around 82,000 shoppers visit the store every week. The founder, "Jungle" Jim Bonaminio, calls these visitors "foodies." Many special international foods found here are hard to find anywhere else in the Greater Cincinnati area. Some customers even drive from other cities just to shop here! Jungle Jim's is also famous for its cool animatronics and other fun displays.
Contents
How Jungle Jim's Began
In 1971, a person named "Jungle" Jim Bonaminio started selling fresh produce. He set up a small stand in a parking lot in Hamilton, Ohio. For the next three years, Jim moved his stand to different empty lots. Then, 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 shops. But after some talks, the city agreed. The very first Jungle Jim's store opened in 1975. It was 4,200 square feet, which is much smaller than it is today!
Jim Bonaminio kept making the store bigger. He added new products that customers asked for. In 1988, he visited some special markets in Chicago. This gave him the idea to make his store an international market. He also decided to add the "jungle" theme. Today, Jungle Jim's is known for its huge variety of international foods. These include many different cheeses, unique meats, breads, and wines.
Store Expansions and Fun Additions
Around 2004, Jungle Jim's added a strip mall next to the store. This included other shops like Hallmark and CiCi's Pizza. In 1998, the store bought old monorail trains from Kings Island. These trains used to be part of a "Lion Country Safari" ride.
A large station with a giant snake was built behind the store. A second station was added at the Oscar Event Center. This lets guests ride the monorail between the two places. The original plan was for the monorail to go all around the property. However, this part was never finished. You can still see some unused supports around the area. In 2019, the store opened "The Oscar Station." This is a bourbon bar located inside the monorail station. In January 2020, they announced plans to make the front of the store even bigger. This expansion will add 17,000 square feet. It will also make space for new businesses, like Graeter's ice cream.
Second Location in Eastgate
On April 1, 2005, Jim Bonaminio planned to open a second, smaller store. This new store would be closer to Cincinnati. But by April 2007, the plan was canceled because nothing was happening at the site. Later, on September 25, 2012, Jungle Jim's finally opened its second store. This new location is in Eastgate. It is in the old bigg's Place Mall.
The Oscar Event Center
The Oscar Event Center is a large space connected to Jungle Jim's International Market. It is 34,100 square feet. The center is named after "Jungle" Jim's middle name. It first opened in 2007. There are several different areas inside the event center. These include The Main Hall, The Lounge, The Outdoor Terrace, and The Pub.
This event space hosts many fun events each year. Some of these include the International Craft Beer Festival and the International Wine Festival. They also have the Weekend of Fire, the Barrel-Aged Beer Bash, and Whiskey Night.
Jungle Jim's has been shown on TV shows like Unwrapped on the Food Network. It was also featured on Modern Marvels on the History Channel. And it appeared on ABC News' Good Morning America.
Images for kids
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A display of hot sauces at Jungle Jim's.
