At the height of their reign in the early 1990s, Marsh Supermarkets staked claim to 30% of the Indianapolis market and employed more than 4,000 Hoosiers in Indy alone. The old one-stop-shopping spot had everything from groceries, to a pharmacy, to video rentals (remember when those were a thing?) and it also stocked regional faves like Roselyn Bakery goods.
Although the supermarkets dominated the state for years, the company went out of business in 2017, due to an increasing amount of competition from chains like Kroger and Meijer. Now, they’re either being re-purposed, demolished, or gathering dust across the Indy area.
Here are some of the ways central Indiana has moved on from the bygone business.
📚 A library
While its current location was being renovated, Carmel Clay Public Library booked it over to the former Marsh location at 2140 E. 116th St. Where you could once find milk and cheese, you were able to find the latest fiction and audiobooks lined the cooler section.
🏘️ Apartments
In spring 2021, NEXUS Noblesville broke ground on a $52.8 million residential and office project on the grounds of a former Marsh Supermarket at State Road 32 and River Road. It officially opened last summer and currently has one- and two-bedroom pet-friendly apartments available for rent.
🏁 A motorsports headquarters
Just last week, it was announced that HMD Motorsports, which competes in the IndyCar series, would be racing over to the former Marsh in Brownsburg to move into its new headquarters. The 65,000-sqft building — vacant since 2017 — will be renovated with an expected move-in date this summer.
At this time, more than 50% of the vacant Marsh’s have been transformed to serve other purposes. In an interview with FOX59, executive director at Cushman & Wakefield Bill French said that he expects only two or three will remain vacant by the end of the year in the Indy area.
