Snider’s Super Foods, a supermarket institution in Silver Spring, MD since 1946, has agreed to sell its high-volume unit on Seminary Road. The prospective buyer is Streets Market and Café, the Washington, DC-based operator of nine food stores and cafes in the Baltimore-Washington market.
The Snider family has been doing business in the Montgomery Hills section of Silver Spring for nearly 75 years and has operated its current 12,700 square foot location off of Georgia Ave. since 1961.
The company was founded by Louis Snider, who originally sold fruits and vegetables door-to-door from a team of horses and wagon in Kansas City, MO. When Louis and his wife Lena (who were both Ukrainian immigrants) moved to Washington DC in 1922, they opened a small grocery store on Georgia Avenue. Their two children, Jerry (who passed away in 2009) and David, began working there at the ages of 10 and 8, long before child labor laws were enacted.
By 1938, what was then called Snider’s Market, moved to University Boulevard and Colesville Road in Silver Spring. In 1946, a second store opened at Georgia Avenue and Dale Drive in the Montgomery Hills section of the city. At the time, Georgia Avenue was one lane in each direction, not the eight-lane artery it is today. Business thrived at that location and the family bought a nearby piece of land where the current Snider’s Super Foods sits. That store opened in 1961.
Company president David Snider, who along with his brother Jerry, having operated the store as a true neighborhood market, knowing many of their customers on a first name basis. Snider’s was also considered an innovator, offering many ethnic and specialty products that were difficult to find in the DC area.
Snider, who recently celebrated his 90th birthday, said he appreciates the support of the local community, noting, “There have been many changes in the grocery business during my tenure -from serving customers behind the counter to full self-service supermarkets and changes in customer tastes from meat (our slogan for many years was ‘Meat That Can’t Be Beat’) to organic offerings and prepared foods. I have enjoyed the business and the industry and believe that Streets Market–with their youth, energy and experience–will be a good steward of Snider’s for the next 75 years.”
Added Alex Xenochristos, Snider’s general manager, “I’ve worked at Snider’s for over 48 years and look forward to a bright future for our store.”
Streets Markets was founded in 2014 in Washington, DC and has expanded further into the DC metropolitan area and has also added a store on Charles Street in Baltimore. The stores focus on fresh and prepared foods featuring many specialty and organic offerings.
In a statement, Streets Market said: “We will keep the name, the staff, the service, the value and all of the other aspects that have made Snider’s great. The broad selection of wines and most expansive selection of craft beers in Silver Spring will remain. The deli, the New York-style pickles and (to respond to one customer’s concern) rotisserie chicken will remain. And Streets Market will bring more organic and international foods. We are excited about the transition, the future and being part of the community.”
In announcing his retirement, David Snider proclaimed: “Thank you. I will miss the business, the loyal customers and the employees, who have been like family to me. It has been a privilege to be part of the community, and I wish Streets Market and its team much success over the coming years.”
