Weis Pure Food Stores, 1912-1945

In April 1912, Sigmund and Harry Weis opened a corner store on Market Street in Sunbury called Weis Pure Foods. A second store in Harrisburg followed the following year, at 1313 Market Street. The brothers opened a Bloomsburg store in September 1915. More stores followed in quick succession, including three more stores in Sunbury alone by the end of the 1910s.

The brothers’ “pure food” branding took advantage of decades of national advocacy for consumers’ right to unadulterated food products. Pure food was a health issue, but it was also an economic argument. Bread flour cut with powdered chalk or meat products stuffed with unpleasant fillers were a way for unscrupulous manufacturers to make more money by bilking customers. In 1906 Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act to outlaw “the addition of any ingredients that would substitute for the food, conceal damage, pose a health hazard, or constitute a filthy or decomposed substance.” The pure food concept was consistent with the history of Weis businesses in the Valley. Their father had emphasized how fair his deals were and had relied on the trust of his local customers. Now, the brothers built the qualities of honesty and fairness into the very name of their new chain of stores.

The 26th Weis Pure Food Store, opened in 1921, was on Market Street in Selinsgrove.

In the same year, the brothers opened their fifth store in Harrisburg.

In 1923, the brothers purchased a second warehouse on South Front Street in Sunbury. Their chain of stores had already outgrown the original Sunbury warehouse. They then built a new 75,000-square-foot warehouse in Sunbury the following year.

By 1925, there were 50 Weis Pure Food Stores in Pennsylvania. The company incorporated via an official state charter.

Together, the Weis brothers pioneered the self-service marketing system. This revolutionary concept allowed customers to select their products, reducing the need for extensive customer service and lowering operating costs. They also centered their markets in communities, creating a haven where many could purchase groceries; this innovation was not an instant success but set the tone for the future of Weis Markets.   

Going back to where it all started, Sunbury on the Susquehanna River, Sigmund and his brother Harry Weis is where the Weis name became internationally known as the founders of the largest supermarket chains in the United States. Their journey from a small corner store to a national chain is truly inspiring. However, Sigmund was not just a founder of Weis Markets but also an accomplished business and charitable man in Central Pennsylvania. A Director of First National Bank and a multiple-time achievement winner in the Snyder County area, he always returned some of his profits to the community. Sigmund Weis gained prevalence in Pennsylvania as the corner Weis stores grew.

At the same time, newspapers stated that his wife, Ella Bernheim, was instrumental in running the Weis corner stores with her husband, which would lay the foundation for their family business legacy. Ella would pass away in 1932. Together, they impacted the local business community, eventually passing down the reigns to Sigfried and Harry Weis, who would take the Weis Pure Food Stores and grow them into the Weis Markets we know today.