Everyone has been in the same situation: You’re driving home from school or work and your stomach’s intuition tells you it needs a snack. You may wonder where to yourself, where should I stop? The answer to that question will be based on variety, prices, and if it’s convenient. The place that checks all of the boxes? The West Newbury Foodmart.  

The Variety 

The food mart has it all. Snacks, drinks, and candy – you name it. The aspect that makes the food mart stand out is the variety of meals they offer. Pre-made meals such as chicken parm, mac and cheese, and buffalo chicken tenders are just a few of the meals they offer. These meals have become a staple in Pentucket Student’s life. When you’re coming home from school knowing you’re on your own for dinner, the food mart will always be your best option. 

The food mart has its own deli and butcher as well. They offer a wide variety of meats that are of good quality. They have steaks, pork, and lamb which shows they have it all. 

Pentucket students all have their own favorite snacks they choose from. The food mart also receives new and interesting snack items relatively frequently. 

Here are some of the Pentucket Students’ snack favorites from the food mart 

• Pink Himalayan Popcorn 
• Family size Mott’s Fruit Snacks 
• Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies  

The Prices 

The food mart isn’t known for its outside appeal. When you’re driving down route 113 it looks like an abandoned warehouse. For a long period, it didn’t even have a sign. It makes up for the rustic look by having low prices.  

• 99 ¢ Ice Teas 
• 20 ¢ Individual Candies   
• 99 ¢ for a box of Cheerios 
• $1.99 Homemade cookies       

These prices are very appealing for high school students. Most students are starting their first jobs and these low prices are essential to help grow their bank accounts. 

Pentucket Junior, Jack Foley, when asked about the prices stated, “For a local small business, it has great prices and you save on gas going there, and especially time.”

It’s Convenient 

The food mart is located right on route 113. It’s a 4-minute drive from the high school to the store. You can’t beat that convenience. Coming home from a long day of school and sports makes it the best feeling to stop and get a Gatorade and a snack.   

Pentucket Junior, Trevor Cloutier, when asked how often he visits the food mart, stated, “During the lacrosse season I would visit the food mart nearly daily, it’s on my way to practice, and it’s just so convenient to stop and get a drink and a snack for practice.”

Multiple sports have practice at Pipestave Hill. Sports such as soccer, lacrosse, and cross country have to drive on route 113 to practice daily. These athletes end up driving by the food mart extremely frequently. 

Pentucket Senior, Olivia Bartholomew, is a member of the girl’s cross-country team. When asked in an interview how often she stops at the food mart she responded, “At least once every week.” 

The Community               

Many youth sports teams are in need of funding. A bake sale is one solution to gain funding for a team. Many sports teams around Pentucket gain their funding from bake sales held in front of the Food Mart. It’s a staple in the community to see different sports teams outside of the store on Saturday mornings. 

For my own team, Pentucket Boys Cross Country, we have had multiple bake sales outside the food mart. Organizing and setting up the events in front of the food mart have been relatively easy and successful. The money our team raised from the bake sale every year gives us discounted prices for our team sweatshirts.   

Conclusion 

The food mart will always be a staple in the Pentucket community. From quick snacks to full dinners the food mart will have an impact on our community. Just recently they have begun the long-awaited improvements to the outside look of the food mart by getting a new sign and paint job which shows their commitment to continue to serve the community and grow.