Marino's

Marino's Associated Foods is a small grocery chain with two stores in Ensley.

The first location was opened in 1925 by Tony and Mary Marino. It moved to its present location on Avenue E from 29th Street Ensley in 1953.

The business is still family owned, with grandson Anthony Marino passing the reins to his son, Jay in 2012. The company employs about 70 people.

In December 2011 the company asked for $500,000 in public incentives from the city of Birmingham to help modernize its stores and expand educational outreach and access to nutritious foods. Those funds were used entirely in renovating the Ensley store, a $3 million project. In 2018 the company received an additional $1 million in public incentives from the city over 10 years to offset the $4.5 million cost to expand and renovate the Central Park location.

Locations

• 29th Street Ensley (1925-1953)
• 2415 Avenue E Ensley (1953-)
• 1965 Bessemer Road, Central Park (1962-)

References

• Tomberlin, Michael (December 13, 2011) "Marino's Inc. seeks incentives to upgrade Ensley groceries." The Birmingham News
• Schnader, Ingrid (July 11, 2018) "Birmingham grocery store eyes $4.5M renovation." Birmingham Business Journal