Brian McManigal Jr., owner of Mac's Market and The Gridiron, cuts luncheon meat behind the meat counter.Mirror photo: Patrick Waksmunski
Tyrone — It took at least two leaps of faith. And now Mac's Market and The Gridiron at 1658 Columbia Avenue in Tyrone are thriving.
The business, started by Wilmer “Mac” McManigal and his wife Evelyn, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
“I think this is a great accomplishment,” said owner Brian McManigal Jr., whose grandparents opened the store in February 1974.
Brian Jr. said he doesn't take the business for granted and credits its longevity to “everyone who supports us.”
He also acknowledges that the business is constantly evolving. “We cannot rest on our laurels…There is much work to do.”
03/06/24 Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski/Altoona residents Tina Knod and Dale Murphy enjoy fresh hoagies in the seating area.
That work ethic began with Mac and Evelyn, who moved their family of four children from Three Springs to Tyrone and purchased Heberling's Market from Bob and Jack Heberling.
“My father worked as a meat cutter at IGA in Mount Union, and on the side he cut paper for the paper mill,” Brian Jr. said. “He did what he had to do to make money.”
But Mac has come to realize that he doesn't want to work for anyone else. He had just built a new home in Three Springs when his family moved into a two-bedroom apartment to take over the market.
“He had the fortitude to take the plunge to do something like this,” Brian Jr. said.
Specializing in custom meat cuts and personal delivery service, Mack and his family quickly established themselves as a staple in town. Throughout the 1970s and into her 1980s, the product line continued to evolve.
Joe Mamanigal tops a freshly made hoagie.Mirror photo: Patrick Waksmunski
In 1984, Brian Sr. became a partner with his father. The two worked together for the next five years until Brian Sr. acquired Mack in 1989 and took full ownership of the business.
Mac and Evelyn, with the help of their remaining children and grandchildren, continued to help with the business until Evelyn's death in 1998. Mack then retired in 1999.
After Brian Sr. became a partner, the company's best-selling product, Mac's Market FamousFilling, was introduced.
“Stuffing is the product that has kept us here for 50 years,” Brian Jr. said.
This is a special family recipe and tastes like something grandma used to make, he said, noting that the filling is simple and uncomplicated.
“The most important elements are love and labor,” Brian Jr. said of his father's work.
“My dad wanted to do it, but he said, 'You're crazy, no one's going to buy it,'” he says, back when, like in the 1980s, everyone was making their own stuffing. I did.
The bestseller “started with a 5-pound bag of Pacifico soft bread cubes,” Brian Jr. said. “When they first made it, it disappeared. It skyrocketed.”
Today, this stuffing is a staple in the industry and is incorporated into many products, from stuffed pork chops and chicken breasts to gravy-filled dunkers.
Introducing Gridron
A big change came in 2007 with the introduction of The Gridiron, which focuses on hoagies, pizza, and wings.
“This small grocery store was on the brink of trying to compete with Walmart and big-box grocery stores. It was time for a turning point, a leap of faith,” Brian Jr. said.
He said shelves full of groceries have been removed from the store, and gridiron sales now account for about 40% of the business, with meat sales accounting for the remaining 60%.
“Today, we are an old-fashioned corner meat market with a new-age flair,” says Brian Jr., who has worked at the store since he was 12 and became a partner with his father in January 2009.
“When I was a kid, my mom was reluctant to send me here. My dad said, 'You keep that boy's underwear clean and I'll show him how to work. ''' Brian Jr. recalled.
He graduated from Tyrone Regional High School in 2003 and Juniata College in 2007, majoring in criminal justice and IT.
“He (my father) expected me to get an education whether I did it or not,” he said. “I was scheduled to go to Boston for work, but the opportunity arose to partner with him here.”
Brian Jr. said he had a choice and decided not to quit.
“I may be the most educated meat processor east of the Mississippi River,” he joked.
Once Brian Jr. partnered with his father, he introduced the business to the Internet.
“Before that, we used paper menus and got business by word of mouth,” he says. “I started Facebook and built a website. …Now people flock to it instantly and search for it multiple times a day. I promoted my online presence and it became more popular.”
Brian Sr. passed away on March 24, 2022, and Brian Jr. took over the business.
“Like a well-oiled machine.”
Mac's Market typically draws customers from the five-county area, but some come from further afield.
Brian Jr. said his customers come from Dubois, adding, “We have women who drive from New Jersey to buy 10 pounds of stuffing.”
Lois McIntyre of Tyrone has been a customer since moving to town in 1979.
“I don't shop anywhere else,” she said. “They were very nice to me and it was fun.”
McIntyre joked that her husband always said he couldn't cook, but “he said the meat was so good he couldn't mess it up.”
Our customer service and community involvement have a positive impact on our business.
“Mac has had a huge impact on the business community,” said Rose Black, executive director of the Tyrone Area Chamber of Commerce. “Mac’s is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and contributes to many fundraisers and community organizations and events.”
Mac's has eight full-time and part-time employees, whom Brian Jr. credits as a big factor in Mac's success.
“We are known for providing a friendly smile, top-notch customer service and a willingness to build friendships with our customers,” he said. “Our success is due to hard work, perseverance and dedication to the community around us.”
“They have a good product,” said Dave McCloskey, a delivery man at Pacifico's Bakery in Altoona.
“Mac is like a well-oiled machine,” he said, noting that he has been supplying Pacifico products there.
38 years.
McCloskey said many people don't realize how much work it takes to run a business like Mac's.
“They come in early and do the prep work to get it up and running,” he said. “They work hard.”
Like Pacifico, Mac is family-owned and operated.
“I was good friends with Brian and his father,” McCloskey said. “Their food speaks for itself.”
The business has been in business for more than 50 years, and Brian Jr. said there are no plans to move from the building, which was built in 1917.
“We're not going to build a new building. That would take away the appeal and completely change the business perspective,” Brian Jr. said.
In addition to his customers and community, Brian credits Mac's continued success to his family: wife Jo, daughters Rory, Ryan, and Ripley, mother Jerilyn, grandparents Janice and Tom, and sister Ashley. believe.
“You never know what the future holds,” he said. “We continue to do what we do every day, and when we need to change gears, we're never afraid to transition. We hope it lasts 75 years.”
Mirror Staff writer Walt Frank can be reached at 814-946-7467.
