For twenty-four years, it was the undisputed giant of Celina’s retail landscape. Sprawling across a vast corner lot at the edge of town, the J.C. Penney “one-stop shopping” complex was both a source of immense community pride and one of the company’s boldest national experiments. It was a vision of the future, built in a small Ohio town, and its story—from its ambitious conception to its poignant end—is a chronicle of innovation, community, and the relentless evolution of American retail.
The Downtown Era: A Foundation of Trust (1929-1970)
J.C. Penney’s journey in Celina began on March 21, 1929, when the company, in the midst of a rapid national expansion, opened its 1,030th store¹. The modest location at the corner of South Main and Fayette Streets was a world away from the frontier town of Kemmerer, Wyoming, where James Cash Penney had founded his first “Golden Rule Store” in 1902. True to the brand’s ethos, an opening day ad in The Daily Standard promised value, offering chambray work shirts for 49 cents and boys’ spring suits for $9.90¹.
As Celina grew, so did its Penney’s. In 1939, the store relocated to a larger, 4,000-square-foot building at 106 North Main Street². It was here, under a steady line of managers like F.F. Zimmerman and Daniel Kahle, that the company built a deep well of trust within the community¹. Its success was so remarkable that, according to local memory, the downtown store boasted one of the highest sales-per-square-foot ratios in the entire country. This sterling performance did not go unnoticed by corporate headquarters; it was the catalyst that positioned Celina for a historic and revolutionary gamble.
A Grand Vision, A Complicated Reality: Planning the Celina Complex (1965-1969)
The first public glimpse of this gamble came in November 1965. The Daily Standard reported that plans were nearing completion for a massive shopping center on a 12-to-13-acre property at the intersection of U.S. 127 and Summit Street³. The project was a major undertaking, spearheaded by Indianapolis developer Melvin Simon and Associates, operating under the corporate name Celina Plaza, Inc. The intricate land purchase negotiations were handled by local realtor Owen Hall, who secured the property from its former owners: Lela Coats, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Griesdorn, Rosa Hein, and Paul Remaklus³. The plan was careful to preserve existing businesses on the plot, ensuring that the Wapakoneta Production Credit Association facility and the Standard Oil service station would remain in operation³.
The initial vision was staggering: an 80,000-square-foot Penney’s store, 27,500 square feet of additional leasable space, and 800 parking spaces, with a targeted opening of Spring 1966³. However, as a Penney spokesman from New York, Mel Garbar, cautiously noted at the time, final contracts had not yet been signed³. This caution proved prescient. The project soon hit a significant snag when the first round of construction bids came back “well above estimates,” forcing the company to reject them and halt progress⁴.
After a period of silence, J.C. Penney went back to the drawing board. In June 1969, O.J. Hunter, the company’s eastern regional manager, announced that the plans had been finalized after a second major revision. The announcement came amidst a local retail boom; just one month prior, the Jamesway Corporation had revealed its own plans for a 65,000-square-foot store nearby⁴. The redesigned Penney complex would consist of an 80,000-square-foot, one-level main store and a 9,000-square-foot freestanding auto and garden center, for a total of 89,000 square feet under roof, with landscaped parking for nearly 600 cars. With the frustrating delays behind them, sitework was scheduled to begin within weeks, aiming for a grand opening in the summer of 1970⁴.
October 1, 1970: A New Decade of Prosperity
On a landmark Thursday, October 1, 1970, the J.C. Penney complex officially opened its doors to hundreds of eager shoppers⁵. The grand opening ceremony was a major civic event, a moment of shared community triumph. Celina Mayor Wallace McDougall proclaimed the opening marked “a new decade of prosperity in Celina,” as he stood alongside a roster of local leaders, including County Commissioners George Bihn and Les Brandewie, City Council President D.B. Spangler, and Councilmen Charles Dick, Don Grimes, and Rolland Moore⁵. The store’s first manager, F. William Pfeiffer, served as master of ceremonies, introducing the guest of honor: J.C. Penney’s Chairman of the Board and CEO, William M. Batten⁵.
In his address, Batten provided a rare and candid insight into the company’s strategy. He explained that Celina had been meticulously chosen for this experimental “trial balloon”—one of only five such stores in the nation⁸—based on four key factors: a population large enough to support the store, a diversified local economy, a sufficient distance from a larger city that might “overpower our appeal,” and favorable growth prospects⁵. He also noted that the upcoming relocation of Ohio 29 would “help rather than hurt us,” as modern shoppers “no longer count time and distance as a factor in shopping.”⁶
Batten directly addressed the “unhappy feelings” of many downtown merchants who feared the new complex. He explained that the store’s purpose was to draw shoppers from a wider region who were formerly going to larger cities, thereby keeping retail revenue within Celina⁶. He frankly managed expectations, stating it would require “two to five years” before the company would know if the experiment was a success or failure. “We try to build our business solidly,” he explained, “and that sometimes takes longer⁶.”
The One-Stop Marvel: A Store Unlike Any Other
To walk into the Celina J.C. Penney in its heyday was to witness a marvel of retail innovation. Service assistants in their distinctive blue jackets or smocks roamed the floor, while special blue telephones were spotted throughout the store for instant catalog orders⁹. The main store housed a full-service supermarket operated by Penney subsidiary Supermarkets Interstate¹⁰. Former senior merchandise manager Gary Roth, who worked at the store for 27 years, recalled its unique grocery pickup system. “After paying for groceries, the items were packed into box totes and numbered with a matching number given on a ticket,” he explained in a 2002 interview. “When the customer was ready to leave… they simply drove to the south side of the building, handed the clerk the ticket and the groceries were loaded up under a sheltered area.”⁸ Locals fondly remember employees bagging the groceries and sending them by conveyor belt to the pickup dock—an innovation that felt well ahead of its time.
The complex also featured an eight-bay, freestanding automotive center with Foremost brand tires and its own brand of Penney gasoline⁴. Inside the main building, shoppers could find a full-service beauty salon operating on a “No Appointment Necessary” basis, a coffee shop, and a 1,200-square-foot community room available free of charge to local organizations for meetings and events like the popular “Pixie Pictures” family photo days⁹.
At the heart of the store’s social life was the snack bar in the rear, which, according to Roth, was famous for “creating the best cherry cheesecake in town.”⁸ In a move that cemented the cafe’s place in local lore, Celina Mayor Paul Arnold purchased nearly all of its equipment—counters, freezer, fixtures, and more—when the cafe closed. He used it to open The Fountain restaurant downtown, giving the beloved snack bar a second life⁸. The store truly seemed to have everything, from clothing and hardware to records, cameras, and even plants. But as Roth wryly noted, some items were a tougher sell. “Men’s suits? They just didn’t sell around here,” he said. “We used to call them ‘marrying and burying’ suits. There just wasn’t a market for them here.”⁸
A Model Ahead of Its Time: The Long Decline (1977-1994)
The first major change to the one-stop model came in January 1977, when reports were confirmed that the food market was being phased out¹⁰. The closure was part of a nationwide corporate decision by J.C. Penney to exit the grocery business. The vacated space in the Celina store was converted into a furniture sales area¹⁰.
For nearly two more decades, the store remained a retail anchor, but the very thing that made it so spectacular—its immense scale—was slowly becoming its fatal flaw. The “trial balloon” concept, as Gary Roth noted, was “ahead of its time.”⁸ The massive building became a financial burden. In a candid January 1994 interview, store manager Richard Davis explained the definitive reason for the store’s impending closure. Of the building’s 85,000 square feet, many departments had been discontinued, and the retailer was operating out of just 45,000 square feet. “That’s why about half of this building is not in use,” Davis stated. “It’s very expensive to operate. It’s just too large for the sales we’re generating out of it.”¹¹
The company had been presented with a “better investment elsewhere.”¹¹ J.C. Penney announced it would close the Celina store at the end of April 1994 and relocate its 72 employees to a new, more efficient 51,000-square-foot store in the St. Marys Square shopping center¹¹. The news was a blow to Celina. Mayor James R. Mustard acknowledged that the city had been “fishing” for over a year to find a replacement retailer for the massive site, but admitted the effort “had no bites yet.”¹¹
The End of an Era, The Beginning of a New Chapter
The final days of the Celina J.C. Penney were poignant. Gary Roth, who had the “dubious honor of shutting down the computer” on the last day, described the scene vividly. “It was kind of like somebody dying,” he recalled. “The fixtures and clothes were gone. The place was empty.”⁸
The property, however, was too valuable to stay empty for long. In December 1994, the entire former Penney building was purchased for $1.38 million by DeVicchio & Associates, a Youngstown development firm, from the New York-based limited partnership Penncel Associates¹². DeVicchio announced plans to redevelop the site into a multi-tenant shopping center. A key part of this redevelopment occurred on March 20, 1995, when Michel Tire Co. purchased the freestanding auto center building outright from DeVicchio for $50,000, realizing a long-held interest the Michel family had in the location¹². Meanwhile, DeVicchio & Associates began to fill the main building, securing leases with tenants like Video Connection, Dr. Thomas Santanello’s medical practice, and the financial firm Asset Allocation Associates Inc¹³.
Today, the building houses a new generation of businesses, but the memory of the J.C. Penney concept store remains a cherished chapter in Celina’s history. It was a bold vision of the future of retail, a place of community connection, and a fond reminder of a time when a small Ohio town was at the forefront of a grand national experiment.
Endnotes
¹ “Fifty Years at the Penney Store.” Mercer County Ohio History 1974.
² Grieshop, Shelley. “J.C. Penney celebrates its 100th anniversary.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 11 Apr. 2002, p. 4A.
³ “Celina Shopping Center Plans Near Completion.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 8 Nov. 1965.
⁴ “Penney Finalizes Plans For Celina Complex.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 7 June 1969.
⁵ “Penney Complex Is Opened.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 1 Oct. 1970, p. 1.
⁶ “Penney.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 1 Oct. 1970, p. 2.
⁷ “Penney Unveils Plan For Celina Complex.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 21 July 1970.
⁸ Grieshop, Shelley. “Store has roots in Celina.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 11 Apr. 2002, p. 4A.
⁹ “Celina’s New Penney Store Slates Oct. 1 Opening.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 12 Aug. 1970.
¹⁰ “Today…” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 4 Jan. 1977, p. 2.
¹¹ Richardson, Paula. “Mayor Says Business Outlook Is Positive.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 13 Jan. 1994, p. 1.
¹² Richardson, Paula. “Local Tire Company Takes The Family Name.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 27 Apr. 1995, p. 4B.
¹³ “Moving.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 20 June 1995, p. 2A.
Comprehensive Fact Sheet
Timeline of Key Events
- March 21, 1929: The first J.C. Penney store (No. 1,030) opens in downtown Celina.
- 1939: The downtown store relocates to a larger building at 106 N. Main Street.
- November 8, 1965: Initial plans for the new shopping complex are announced.
- June 7, 1969: Finalized, redesigned plans for the complex are announced after construction bids came in too high on the original design.
- October 1, 1970: The new J.C. Penney one-stop shopping complex holds its grand opening.
- January 4, 1977: Reports are confirmed that the supermarket is being phased out as part of a national corporate strategy.
- January 13, 1994: J.C. Penney announces the Celina store will close at the end of April.
- April 1994: The Celina J.C. Penney store closes its doors.
- December 1994: The former Penney building is sold to developer DeVicchio & Associates for $1.38 million.
- March 20, 1995: The freestanding auto center building is sold by DeVicchio to Michel Tire Co. for $50,000.
The Downtown Era (1929-1970)
- First Location: Corner of South Main and Fayette Streets.
- Second Location: 106 North Main Street (4,000 sq. ft.).
- Early Managers: F.F. Zimmerman, Joseph Stattler, James Rush, Robert Steinmetz, Daniel Kahle.
The Concept Store (1965-1994)
Development & Planning:
- Developer: Melvin Simon and Associates (Indianapolis, IN).
- Corporate Entity: Celina Plaza, Inc.
- Local Realtor: Owen Hall.
- Original Landowners: Lela Coats, Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Griesdorn, Rosa Hein, Paul Remaklus.
- Adjacent Businesses (to remain): Wapakoneta Production Credit Association, Standard Oil service station.
Facts & Figures:
- Total Complex Size: 89,000 sq. ft. (final plan).
- Main Store Size: 80,000 sq. ft.
- Auto Center Size: 9,000 sq. ft.
- Total Property Size: 12-to-13 acres.
- Parking Spaces: Nearly 600 (final plan); 800 (initial plan).
- Number of Employees (at closure): 72.
- Operational Space (at closure): 45,000 sq. ft. of the 85,000 sq. ft. building.
Features & Amenities:
- Supermarket: Operated by Penney subsidiary Supermarkets Interstate; featured a drive-up grocery pickup facility with a conveyor belt system.
- Auto Center: 8 service bays; sold Foremost brand tires and Penney’s own brand of gasoline.
- Community Room: 1,200 sq. ft., available free to local organizations.
- Beauty Salon: Full-service, operated on a “No Appointment Necessary” basis.
- Snack Bar/Coffee Shop: Located in the rear of the store; famous for its cherry cheesecake. Its equipment was later purchased by Mayor Paul Arnold to start The Fountain restaurant.
- Customer Service: Service assistants in blue jackets/smocks; special blue telephones for catalog orders.
Key People:
- J.C. Penney Executives: William M. Batten (Chairman & CEO), O.J. Hunter (Eastern Regional Manager).
- Local Management: F. William Pfeiffer (First Store Manager), Richard Davis (Final Store Manager), Gary Roth (Senior Merchandise Manager).
- Local Officials (at opening): Mayor Wallace McDougall, County Commissioners George Bihn & Les Brandewie, Council President D.B. Spangler, Councilmen Charles Dick, Don Grimes, & Rolland Moore.
The Redevelopment Era (1994-Present)
- Property Seller (1994): Penncel Associates (New York, NY).
- Property Buyer (1994): DeVicchio & Associates (Youngstown, OH).
- Auto Center Buyer (1995): Michel Tire Co.
- Initial New Tenants (Main Building): Video Connection, Dr. Thomas M. Santanello (sports & family medicine), Asset Allocation Associates Inc.
Memorable Quotes & Anecdotes
- On Celina’s Selection: “We look at the area’s growth prospects — are they favorable or unfavorable?” – William M. Batten, 1970.
- On the Store’s Purpose: “Our purpose in building this store was to attract people over a large area, people who formerly were going to larger cities to do their shopping.” – William M. Batten, 1970.
- On the Store’s Experimental Nature: “It was like a trial balloon, but I think they were ahead of their time. It was too soon.” – Gary Roth, 2002.
- On Men’s Suits: “We used to call them ‘marrying and burying’ suits. There just wasn’t a market for them here.” – Gary Roth, 2002.
- On the Store’s Closure: “It’s just too large for the sales we’re generating out of it.” – Richard Davis, 1994.
- On the Final Day: “It was kind of like somebody dying. The fixtures and clothes were gone. The place was empty.” – Gary Roth, 2002.
Complete Bibliography
Alig, Joyce L. Celina Ohio Sesquicentennial, 1834-1984.
“Celina’s New Penney Store Slates Oct. 1 Opening.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 12 Aug. 1970.
“Celina; Most Complete Facility In Area.” Mercer County Chronicle [Coldwater, OH], 23 July 1970, p. 3.
“Celina Shopping Center Plans Near Completion.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 8 Nov. 1965.
“Fifty Years at the Penney Store.” Mercer County Ohio History 1974.
Grieshop, Shelley. “J.C. Penney celebrates its 100th anniversary.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 11 Apr. 2002, p. 4A.
Grieshop, Shelley. “Store has roots in Celina.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 11 Apr. 2002, p. 4A.
“J.C. Penney Management and Departmental Assignments.” The Brownsville Herald [Brownsville, TX], 8 Jan. 1974.
“J.C. Penney Supermarkets.” Winona Daily News [Winona, MN], 17 Feb. 1974, p. 49.
“Moving.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 20 June 1995, p. 2A.
“New Penney’s Management Staff Is Announced.” Mercer County Chronicle [Coldwater, OH], 3 Sep. 1970, p. 3.
“Penney.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 1 Oct. 1970, p. 2.
“Penney Complex Is Opened.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 1 Oct. 1970, p. 1.
“Penney Finalizes Plans For Celina Complex.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 7 June 1969.
“Penney Unveils Plan For Celina Complex.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 21 July 1970.
Richardson, Paula. “Local Tire Company Takes The Family Name.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 27 Apr. 1995, p. 4B.
Richardson, Paula. “Mayor Says Business Outlook Is Positive.” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 13 Jan. 1994, p. 1.
“Ribbon Cutting Thursday – Penney Opens Celina One-Stop Outlet.” The Lima News [Lima, OH], 30 Sep. 1970, p. 8.
“Today…” The Daily Standard [Celina, OH], 4 Jan. 1977, p. 2.
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