Uni-Mart

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Uni-Marts began in 1972 under founder Henry D. Sahakian. After operating Ma-jik Market franchise stores in Pennsylvania, the company split away and rebranded as Uni-Mart in 1981. From State College, it built a regional network of convenience stores and gasoline stations for the urgent needs of road trips, late shifts, and questionable snack decisions.

The chain expanded across Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, and became publicly traded in 1986. Uni-Mart also experimented with bigger footprints: its 10,000-square-foot Uni-Mart Center opened in State College in 1996, combining convenience retail, fuel, food tenants, and assorted errands beneath one extremely determined roof.

Green Valley Acquisition Co. took Uni-Marts private in 2004. By May 29, 2008, Uni-Marts LLC filed for Chapter 11 protection while operating 283 stores and gas stations. The eventual liquidation scattered the network: Kwik Pik LLC acquired 144 assets, while other locations went to 25 additional buyers. Final closings occurred from late 2009 through January 8, 2010.

Our Uni-Mart collection celebrates the fluorescent, fuel-scented regional chain that made “just stopping for gas” an optimistic theory. It is a tribute to roadside coffee, hastily chosen chips, and the era when a neighborhood c-store could aim very, very big.