Art McDonnell, owner of McDonnell’s Market Place, has decided to close his grocery, which has served Kirkwood residents for 75 years. McDonnell, who is also the mayor of Kirkwood, told The Scoop that his decision to close the market located at 12309 Old Big Bend Road has been two years in the making. “This is the right time for me,” he said. “I have been doing it since I was 12 years old. I put in a career of over 50 years and work 70 to 80 hours a week [at the market].”
McDonnell is nearing the end of his first four-year term as mayor and has filed to run for office again next year. “There are a lot of things I want to pursue for the city and my constituents. I’m looking forward to having more time to work on some of those things,” he explained, adding that he is also excited to spend time with his grandchildren.
While McDonnell has marked October 1 as the date when the doors will close for good at the market, he expressed hope that someone would approach him with an offer to buy the store, since neither of his two sons is interested in taking over the family business. “They are involved in their own careers on the West Coast,” he explained. None of the current employees at McDonnell’s Market Place is interested in purchasing the business either, he added. “I love this business and the people who are here. We’ve even got children of some former employees working for us.”
This article appears in Jul 1-31, 2011.