Grocery Depot, former Jitney Jungle 14, is closing soon, joining growing list of Belhaven closures
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The Grocery Depot on Fortification Street is closing. The building, remaining the same on the outside, has shifted a handful of times in the past century, originally Jitney Jungle 14, then McDade's Market, then Corner Market and, finally, Grocery Depot.
As of March 7, the Grocery Depot Belhaven location was still operational with some empty shelves.
An exact closing date has yet to be determined, but Roberts Company Chief Operating Officer Joel Edwards told the Clarion Ledger Monday afternoon the company will not lay off any workers. All employees will transfer to one of the other three locations in Jackson.
Roberts Company owns the Grocery Depot on Robinson Road and the two Corner Market locations on Duling Avenue in Fondren and on East Northside Drive.
While Grocery Depot has only been open for a short time, the building is a historic Jackson institution.
According to the historical marker that greets shoppers outside the front doors, the Jitney Jungle grocery store chain began in 1919 by the McCarty and Holman families of Jackson.
The building, which stands out with its pointed arch entryway, was built in the early 20th century and became the 14th Jitney Jungle in 1933.
The original "No. 14" lettering remains above the store's entrances.
In 1941, architect Emmett Hull expanded the building, creating a shopping center called the "English Village" complete with a drug store, beauty parlor and a dress shop.
Eudora Welty frequented Jitney Jungle 14. Her house, which now serves as a museum, sits a few blocks away on Pinehurst Street. A mural of the author still exists on the side of the building.
In the early 2000s, Greg and Kathy McDade purchased the building and added the store to the growing list of McDade's Market locations in Jackson.
The store remained McDade's Market until the couple's retirement in 2018 when the locations were absorbed by Roberts Company. In early 2020, the building reopened as Corner Market. Shortly after, the building switched to a Grocery Depot, still under Roberts Company.
Once the Grocery Depot closes its doors for good, it will join several other unoccupied buildings in the Belhaven Historic District, many of which closed within the past year.
The Grocery Depot is attached to the former Lou's Full Serve location, which occupied the space for 10 years. Lou's moved to Ridgeland last September. The Lou's Full Serve sign still hangs on the building, still empty nearly six months later.
Fenian's Irish Pub, a local watering hole across the street from Grocery Depot, also shut its doors weeks before Lou's. Fenian's had served as a beloved Belhaven dive bar for nearly three decades. The building also remains empty, the Fenian's Pub sign still hanging over the entrance.
However, other parts of Belhaven have flourished in recent years. The growing Belhaven Town Center sits one block away from Grocery Depot. The center is home to several thriving restaurants and businesses including Pulito Osterio, Elvie's, Wing Mouth, Poppy's Pies, Mayday Ice Cream, Rowan's and Fertile Ground to name a few.
Edwards said the Roberts team felt it was time to pull their energy and resources into the remaining Grocery Depot location and the two Corner Market locations.
"We hope that the community will give us a chance at one of our other three stores," Edwards said.
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This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Grocery Depot in Jackson, MS, former Jitney Jungle 14, will close
