Hutchinsons Fine Foods Opens in Karen Lee Subdivision then 6000 W in Hunter

His grocery stores were located in the Karen Lee Subdivision and 6000 W in Hunter

Hutchinson's Fine Foods A Family Legacy of Grocers • 1964–1984

In his early 30’s John ventured from his Father’s Grocery store on 2100 south to open 2 grocery stores in the Granger/Hunter area.

In 1972, John Hutchinson Jr. opened Hutchinson’s Fine Foods on the corner of 4000 West and 4100 South in Granger—carrying forward a proud, three-generation legacy of grocers rooted deeply in Utah’s neighborhoods.

John Jr. was no stranger to the grocery world. He began working in his father’s store in Salt Lake City while still in junior high, stocking shelves for 10 cents an hour and marking prices with a grease pencil. He walked after school from Irving Junior High on 12th East to 6th East and 2100 South, working until closing time and catching a ride home with his dad. Later, when his father opened a new store on Imperial Street (3065 South, 1700 East), John earned a raise to 25 cents an hour.

His father, J. Marvell Hutchinson, was a seasoned grocer and former president of the Utah Retail Grocers Association. John’s grandfather, John William Hutchinson, had also worked in food—rising before dawn to make sausages and working long hours to provide for the family. Groceries were in the family bloodline.

After graduating from the University of Utah with a degree in Marketing and Management, John Jr. worked several more years under his father’s mentorship before launching his own store in Granger. He incorporated the business with the help of about 30 local investors. Opening costs totaled around $60,000, and the store measured 6,000 square feet, about one-third the size of the larger chains.

Despite the smaller footprint, John focused on personal service, which he believed was the only way to compete with national chains. “The only way I’ve been able to survive is through personal service,” he once said—cashing checks for regulars, ordering special products, and creating a neighborhood store atmosphere where people felt seen.

He also made sure prices were competitive. “Our prices are as good as or better than those of the chains,” he said confidently in a local interview. With no layers of executives, he ran a lean operation and passed those savings on to his customers.

John Jr. had plans to expand, and within several years, he opened a second location on 6000 West and 3500 South, this time at double the size and cost—$120,000. By then, his stores were doing a combined $600,000 annually, employing locals and building community ties.

John brought a creative side to his stores as well. Inspired by his grandfather Ben Bean, a painter, John displayed his own paintings in the aisles of Hutchinson’s Fine Foods, adding a personal and artistic touch to the shopping experience.

After two decades of running both stores, the retail landscape began to change. Larger supermarkets moved in, making it harder for independents to compete. Combined with the stress of long hours, John eventually made the tough decision to close the Imperial Street store and sell the Granger location in 1984. He transitioned to a new career, working as an accountant for Salt Lake County Aging Services.

Yet the memory of Hutchinson’s Fine Foods remains vivid for those who shopped there: a local grocery run by a family that cared, rooted in generations of hard work and community service.

In the summer of 1964, the Granger area welcomed a new locally owned grocery store—Hutchinsons Fine Foods No. 2, located at 4122 South 4000 West in the growing Karen Lee residential complex. The 6,000-square-foot store was an Associated Grocers outlet, built at a cost of $80,000, and designed to serve the expanding west side community.

The store was operated by J. Marvell Hutchinson, a seasoned retail grocer and former president of the Utah Retail Grocers Association. Hutchinson had been in the grocery business since 1935 and already operated a successful store at 3065 South 1700 East. The new west-side store was very much a family operation: his son John M. Hutchinson, a University of Utah graduate, served as store manager, and another son, Delbert M. Hutchinson, a Westminster College graduate, headed the meat department.

With deep Utah roots, strong family involvement, and a clear commitment to quality service, Hutchinsons Fine Foods No. 2 quickly became a trusted part of the local shopping landscape.

With the needs of a growing community. in the late 1960s and early 1970s, local grocer J. Marvell Hutchinson expanded his family-run business once again—this time with the opening of Hutchinsons Fine Foods Store No. 3 in Hunter at 6000 West 3500 South.