Another locally-owned Sparkle Market has announced it will close its doors by mid-March, store owner Vince Furrie tells 21 News.

Sparkle Market in Salem, located at 423 S. Lundy Avenue, told its staff Tuesday that the store will close. 

Furrie said that some employees will be offered positions with other stores in the area. Furrie said this truly hurts him, as he and his staff worked hard to make Salem a good shopping location for residents.

Furrie said the primary reason for recent closures—including Niles and soon Salem—is the impact of the roadwork on the approximately $20 million Western Reserve Road widening project, which has been ongoing for several years and is not expected to be completed until 2026. 

Furrie told 21 News that the Sparkle Market on Western Reserve is the locally owned chain's most profitable store. The road closures and detours for the ongoing road project have caused foot-traffic into the store to decrease significantly.

"Unfortunately, we can't sustain these losses any longer," Furrie said, which has led to the funds that helped keep the smaller stores afloat during tougher periods.

Furrie said that during the multiple closures of through traffic, on average, business decreased by 75 to 80 percent in the store during that period.

"That road traffic has never come back," Furrie added.

Many grocery stores have suffered from supply chain issues during the pandemic; labor shortages and inflation have all taken their toll.

Sparkle currently has 16 locations and has seen other closures recently, including the store in Niles in mid-January, Craig Beach, and Transfer, PA., which also closed in October. In January 2024, the Sparkle Market location in Union Township near New Castle, PA, closed.

A Lisbon Sparkle Market closed in October 2020.

According to its website, Sparkle has stores in Andover, Brookfield, Champion, Cornersburg, Cortland, East Palestine, Warren, East Liverpool, Youngstown, Columbiana, the Western Reserve Road location in Beaver Township, and West Virginia, New Cumberland, and Chester.

A post on social media noted that East Liverpool, Chester, New Cumberland and East Palestine Sparkle Markets are owned by Ohio Valley Sparkle Markets, a separate ownership from other Sparkle stores, and not affiliated with other Sparkle Markets.

The first Sparkle Market opened in 1955.