Athens Market

About 1949 George H. Everett and his wife Helen Smith Moore Everett opened a store in Athens. George was originally from New York. Helen was the daughter of William Smith of Athens, who owned the W M Smith general merchandise store, one of the stores that was damaged during the fire of 1928.

From 1949 to 1953 George was the proprietor of the Athens Market located in the old Mick or Mack building.  He sold groceries, meats and produce.

Homer K. Ball bought the business in 1953, and kept the name Athens Market. All three grocers used the building that initially housed R. G. Meador's General Merchandise. Read more about Meador, his store and home in a Spotlight feature focused on him. Homer was the son of William Harvey Ball and Sally Keaton.

In 1964 and 1965 Homer served a one-year term as Sheriff of Mercer County. At the end of his term he became the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds for Concord College. He retired in 1988 after serving in that capacity for 18 and half years.

Homer turned the Athens Market over to his younger brother James W. (Jimmy) Ball.  Henry Friedl grew up in Athens and knew the area and people well.  When asked about some of his memories of going to the Athens Market he said, “Jimmy was an up person, open to engage in conversation. He and his employee, Mildred Walls, made for a pleasant “checkout” at the register.  The store had lots of room to mill about in.  There were multiple displays with room to pluck whatever one needed among the aisles. The meat and cheese displays were all the way in the back of the store.  Jimmy had strategically placed the “pop cooler” close to the checkout counter.” 

If you had a few extra moments to linger in the store there were two large windows in the front where you could watch the comings and goings on Vermillion Street, which, at the time, was a busy street with other stores, business establishments and the movie theater.

Athens Market, like so many grocery stores did at that time, extended credit to those customers who needed it. They settled their bill at the end of each month.  Jimmy also offered delivery services for customers who needed a ride back home with their boxes of groceries or if customers called their order in someone from the market would deliver them.  If customers were not going to be home the driver was instructed to take the groceries into the house and to refrigerate what needed to be kept cold.

Athens Market was torn down in 2007. Photographs appear in the Change chapter.

As of 2023, Jimmy Ball, age 85, was enjoying his retirement from the grocery business.