End of an era for Noone's Market in North Scranton
Apr. 10—SCRANTON — A city market once known for its soda fountain and homemade ice cream will soon be under new ownership.
Co-owners George Noone III and his brother, Kevin Noone, are selling Noone's Market, 416 W. Market St., a staple in North Scranton for more than 90 years.
"It's just time for us to do other things," said Noone III, who plans to move to Florida and start a home care business. "My brother and I want to go our separate ways, businesswise."
The family-owned market has operated continuously for 91 years and experienced some changes throughout the decades.
"It was basically just an ice cream parlor and they slowly added groceries over the years," Noone III said. "They also had a pretty big fresh meat and deli business back before supermarkets came around."
Changes within the industry hampered operations.
"They're letting gas stations sell beer now, so that hurt us," Noone III said. "And they let (beer) distributors sell down — they can sell everything — but we can't sell up."
The repeal of a law in 1978 that prevented supermarkets from operating Sundays also delivered a blow to the market.
"That hurt a bit because we had a monopoly," Noone III said.
He hopes the sale to a firm, which owns five other convenience stores in Northeast Pennsylvania, will be finalized in the next month or two.
Noone III noted walking away from the family business is bittersweet as he moves on to the next stage of his life.
"I grew up in the building and I was always here," he said. "It will be difficult not seeing the people. A lot of them have been loyal even though competition has creeped up."
The origin of Noone's Market dates back to the 1910s when Bridget Noone operated the store, Noone III said. Noone's was closed for several years after she died before George Noone Sr. reopened it in 1932, he said.
Bridget Noone previously sold corsets before the family transitioned to groceries, said Donna Noone, the mother of George III and Kevin Noone.
Most shelves inside the market were bare Monday, but a few packs of deeply discounted gum remained, and beer is still available for sale.
"The only thing we're reordering is 24-ounce beers," Noone III said. "We don't want to close down completely."
Leo Kelleher, owner of Kelleher Tire, located nearby at 430 W. Market St., was saddened by Noone's fate.
"I'm just disappointed to see another small business fall," he said.Donna Noone noticed a steady flow of customers visiting the shop to share parting thoughts.
"They're all coming in ... they're all so sorry, but we're lucky we lasted as long as we did as a small store," she said.
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