Ross’ Granville Market has been family owned since 1978, and it will remain a family business under new ownership.
The Saltzman family, owners of Lucky’s Markets Ohio stores, have purchased what is affectionately known in Granville simply as “Ross’,” or “the IGA.”
Ross’ Granville Market will become Lucky’s Market Granville in May. The sale to the Saltzman family was announced on March 20. Credit: Alan Miller
“This is truly a family-to-family transition,” representatives of the Ross family and the Saltzman family said in a joint statement. “Both families believe deeply in taking care of employees, supporting local producers, and serving the community with pride. We are grateful that this store will remain family-owned and continue serving Granville for generations to come.”
Ross’ Granville Market’s last day will be on Thursday, May 7. And at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 22, the story will reopen as Lucky’s Market Granville. Employees of the market were informed of the sale at 1 p.m. today, March 20, and will be offered the opportunity to work at Lucky’s.
Five generations of the Saltzman family have operated grocery stories in Ohio for almost 100 years. That includes Dave’s Markets and Lucky’s Markets Ohio stores. They said they focus on developing local partnerships and creating long-term community investment.
The Lucky’s website says the Saltzmans are the long time owners of Dave’s Markets.
“Dave’s was founded in the late 1920’s when Alex, the first of five generations of a family of grocers, hung up the reins of his horse-drawn produce wagon and opened the first corner family store at 33rd and Payne Avenue in Cleveland,” the website says. “The store was named after Alex’s son, David, who expanded it into a small grocery store.”
And in 2020, Dave’s Markets and Lucky’s Markets, which originated in Colorado, became one company under the Saltzmans. The company has several stores in Columbus, including one on Neil Avenue in the Victorian Village neighborhood.
A visit to that store just north of downtown Columbus on March 20 presented a robust produce department and salad bar, a large beer and wine selection, an aisle of bulk foods and an in-house kitchen that prepares sushi and other take-and-eat or take-and-heat dishes – including a large display case for rotisserie chicken, a longtime favorite at Ross’.
Lucky’s Market in the Victorian Village neighborhood of Columbus is owned by the Saltzmans, a family that has operated grocery stores for a century. Credit: Alan Miller
| Read more: Ross’ Granville Market and land listed for sale at $6.5 million as longtime owners look to retire
Greg Ross, president and manager of the store at 484 S. Main Street, offered thanks to the family’s customers and employees.
“There are very few large, single-location, independent grocery stores left in the U.S.,” Ross said in a statement. “With the help of our talented managers and employees, and the tremendous support of our loyal customers, we’ve been successful. … With the Saltzman family purchasing the store, we are assuring that local ownership continues for the business we worked so hard to build.”
The nearly 30,000-square-foot retail store – including beer and wine sales and the village’s only liquor store – and about seven acres of land were advertised for sale for $6.5 million in August 2025, according to a listing with Shai-Hess Commercial Real Estate.
The property includes paved parking, a separate building housing the Seven 4 Zero casual restaurant, and a drive-thru Chase Bank automated teller machine.
This photo shows the check-out counters in the Granville IGA around the time the Ross family bought the business from the Hess family in the 1970s. Credit: Granville Historical Society archives
Ross’ Granville Market opened in 1978. The Ross family, a two-generation family business, has served the Granville community for nearly five decades.
“We appreciate the years of support and service the Ross family has given to Granville, and we are proud to welcome Lucky’s Market Ohio, another family-owned and Ohio-based company, to our community,” Drew Menzer, president of the Granville Area Community Improvement Corporation, said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Aaron and David (Saltzman) and supporting their success as they become part of our Granville community.”
The listing agent, Brandon Hess, of Shai-Hess Commercial Real Estate, said he is happy for both families, and especially for the Ross family for having worked hard for 48 years to serve the Granville community.
The owners are all at retirement age and deserve time to relax, Hess said.
And it has been personal for Hess. “The Ross family bought the store from my family in 1978,” he told The Reporting Project last year, explaining that his grandfather, Cecil Hess, owned grocery stores in Centerburg, Croton and Granville.
The Saltzman family plans to carry on the tradition of serving Granville customers.
“We look forward to deepening our investment in the broader Columbus market and are very excited to service Granville and its surrounding communities,” said Aaron Saltzman, co-president of Lucky’s Markets Ohio.
“My family has the utmost respect for what the Ross family has built,” he said. “Throughout this transition, we will be focused on continuity for employees and customers. That is and will be top of mind. All current employees will be offered jobs with Lucky’s, ensuring customers continue to see the familiar faces they know and trust. The store will maintain the same full supermarket grocery shopping experience customers love, with a continued and strong emphasis on local products and local partners.”
Aaron Saltzman said his family takes pride in operating its stores in ways that make the most sense for that particular community.
Lucky’s Market in Victorian Village offers a wide selection of dairy products. Credit: Alan Miller
“This Lucky’s will be the same,” he said in the statement. “When Lucky’s Market Granville opens its doors, customers will see the brands and items they’ve come to count on at Ross’.
Customers also can expect an expanded produce department, said David Saltzman, co-president of Lucky’s Markets. “Additionally, the Lucky’s team will be refreshing decor and signage, as well as focusing on additions to individual departments to enhance the shopping experience.”
Granville Mayor Melissa Hartfield said in a statement that she is pleased with the transition.
“Granville has a long tradition of supporting locally owned businesses, and we are very pleased to see this store transition from one family-owned operation to another,” Hartfield said. “The Ross family has quietly served this community for decades. We thank them for the years of hard work and dedication providing what has become the heart of our community.”
This transition is personal for Hartfield, too.
The main building of the grocery store dates to 1969. And prior to it being built, Hartfield told The Reporting Project, her grandparents owned the land under what is now the grocery store. Her grandparents also owned Lake Hudson and the local Chevrolet dealership, which was on E. Elm Street in the building where Elm’s Pizza Parlor is located. Both the lake and the pizza parlor remain in the family.
“That land was their popcorn field,” Hartfield said. “My grandfather was planning to build a Cadillac dealership there, but his life was cut short and that never happened.”
The Ross family expressed appreciation to the Granville community for its support over the years, while the Saltzman family shared their excitement to continue the market’s tradition as a community-focused, family-run supermarket.
Alan Miller writes for TheReportingProject.org, the nonprofit news organization of Denison University’s Journalism program, which is supported by generous donations from readers. Sign up for The Reporting Project newsletter here.
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