Balls Food Stores held a grand opening celebration May 15 at 1904 Southwest Blvd. in Jefferson City, Missouri – marking the next chapter for the former Schulte’s Fresh Foods location.
The event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, family activities, complimentary food offerings and community festivities celebrating the store’s transition into the Hen House Market family. The store became part of Balls Food Stores following the Schulte family’s decision to sell the business in October 2025 as family members prepared for retirement.
“The Balls family spent more than 100 yearsin the grocery business, so at Balls Food Stores, we understand the responsibility that comes with carrying forward a local family legacy,” said Ryan Campbell, president of Balls Food Stores.
“What the Schulte family built in Jefferson City matters to this community, and we take that responsibility seriously.”
Campbell noted that Balls Food Stores entered a new chapter in 2024 when the company became teammate-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), with the Ball family passing ownership of the company to its teammates. That ownership structure can be a powerful differentiator in a community, as evidenced by how Campbell highlighted the ESOP transition as proof of the company’s commitment to local employees and stability.
[RELATED: Balls Food Stores Transfers Ownership To Employees]
“That transition reinforced what grocery stores represent in a community,” Campbell said. “They are places where people gather, connect, and build relationships week after week. We are proud to now be part of Jefferson City and committed to honoring what made this store special while continuing to invest in its future.”
Hen House Market emphasized that many of the store’s longtime staples will remain unchanged, including the store’s popular doughnuts, fine meats department, and the team members that customers have come to know over the years. The “add, never subtract” philosophy respects the emotional attachment that longtime customers have to familiar products – changing too much too fast risks alienating the existing customer base.
“The doughnuts are staying the same – same people, same recipes, same process,” said Store Director James Fiene. “The same goes for our meat department and many of the traditions customers love about this store.”
While preserving the store’s identity, Hen House Market is introducing enhancements aimed at expanding value, variety, and freshness for customers, including expanded produce offerings featuring additional local and organic selections, wider grocery assortment and international food offerings, fresh sushi prepared in-house, future prepared food additions including a wing bar and additional everyday value throughout the store. The location has introduced select Hen House favorites, including Tippin’s Pies and an expanded Harry’s Liquor selection.
The phased introduction of new offerings allows customers to discover enhancements over time rather than facing a full reset – an approach that may reduce operational risk and customer confusion for any independent grocer acquiring another store.
“Our approach has been simple from day one: add, but never subtract,” Campbell said. “We’ve spent our time listening and learning from both customers and teammates to understand what makes this store such an important part of Jefferson City.”
[RELATED: Balls Food Stores Expands With Acquisition Of Schulte’s Fresh Foods]
About Balls Food Stores
Hen House Market is a banner of Balls Food Stores, a Kansas City-area grocery company that became teammate-owned through an ESOP in 2024. The company has operated grocery stores for more than 100 years.
Hen House Market Grand Opening
