In the mid 1970’s the corner of 10th Street and Smith Road was a wooded ravine with a small
rental home, owned by Tim Ellis, a local realtor. In late 1978, Dave Trueblood and Dick Huffman
(the owner of the Johnson Creamery which operated until 1987) approached Tim about opening
a neighborhood grocery on this corner, and in 1979, the first Short Stop Food Mart opened.

At this time George Huntington was working at the night owl at the corner of 17th and Indiana
and was approached by Dave and Dick to come manage the store, George agreed and by 1985
had bought out the original partner’s, added gas and operated what has become a Bloomington
Landmark for over 30 years.

In the 1980’s Short Stop was the hangout for the local kids during the summer months enjoying
the latest in video entertainment, Pac-man and Asteroids. Managers and employees included
Darla, Debbie, and Kenny. The same year gas was added, a group of investors including, Jerry
Gates, Mel Richardson, Bud Wyman, Mary Hartle, Charles Kelly, Thomas Gibbs and Patrick
Duginske purchased the property and added the Eastsi

Since then, Short Stop has had some good and bad years. The reconstruction of 10th street and
the railroad trestle on Smith Road almost ended its very existence.

In 2000 the original partners sold their interest in the real estate to Eastside Investments, LLC
whose members included Chris Smith and Whitney Gates, by 2005 Chris had bought out his
partner in the real estate and George’s interest in Short Stop Food Mart.

This was the year Short Stop closed for a summer to add branded gasoline (Sunoco) including
some renovations such as a new canopy, modern gas pumps and sales counter. Then disaster
hit, the financial crisis and a huge spike in gasoline prices drove the store operator into
bankruptcy leaving empty shelves and gas tanks.

In January of 2009 the current property owner, Chris Smith a Bloomington Native, left
his position as a Civil Engineer in Charlotte NC, returned to Bloomington and took over
Short Stop Food Mart. Having grown up stopping at Short Stop thought-out his teen years
he was devoted to reinventing the neighborhood grocery by focusing on customer service
a friendly atmosphere and local products.

In the last few years Short Stop has once again become an asset to the surrounding community
by offering products and services at reasonable prices.

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