Karns Quality Foods, also known as Karns Prime & Fancy Food, is a privately owned supermarket chain in the Harrisburg metropolitan area of Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

. The company's corporate headquarters is in Mechanicsburg

Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

Mechanicsburg is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, USA, eight miles west of Harrisburg. It is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Mechanicsburg was settled in 1806 and incorporated as a borough on April 12, 1828...

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Karns Quality Foods was founded in 1959 by David Karns and has been operated continuously by the Karns family since then. Karns operated seven stores in central Pennsylvania: Lower Paxton Township

Lower Paxton Township, Pennsylvania

Lower Paxton Township is a township in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. The township was incorporated in 1767 from Paxton Township...

, Lemoyne

Lemoyne, Pennsylvania

Lemoyne is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Lemoyne was incorporated as a borough on May 23, 1905. As of the 2000 census, the borough population was 3,995. It was formerly named Bridgeport. Lemoyne lies across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's capital...

, Hampden Township

Hampden Township, Pennsylvania

Hampden Township is the largest municipality in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 24,135 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

, Boiling Springs

Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania

Boiling Springs is a census-designated place in South Middleton Township, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and is part of the Harrisburg metropolitan area...

, New Bloomfield, Middletown

Middletown, Pennsylvania

Middletown is the name of more than one location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania:*Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania: 17057, of the Harrisburg metropolitan area*Middletown, Northampton County, Pennsylvania: 18017...

 and Hershey

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...

. The current CEO is the founder's son, D. Scott Karns.

The company was started as a butcher

Butcher

A butcher is a person who may slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat or any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat, poultry, fish and shellfish for sale in retail or wholesale food establishments...

 shop in New Cumberland

New Cumberland, Pennsylvania

New Cumberland is a municipality at the eastern tip of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. New Cumberland was incorporated as a borough on March 21, 1831. The population was 7,349 at the 2000 census...

, but the current format is a traditional grocery store with an emphasis on perishable items. Karns stores also have a selection of fresh local produce

Produce

Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods and, not limited to fruits and vegetables . More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested. In supermarkets the term is also used to refer...

 and fresh baked goods.

In September 2006, Karns Quality Foods acquired the remaining store locations of Fox's Markets, a grocery chain that was based in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania

Dauphin County is a county in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of the three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010 census, the population was 268,100. The county includes the city of Harrisburg, which has served as the state capital...

. The addition of Fox's locations in Middletown

Middletown, Pennsylvania

Middletown is the name of more than one location in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania:*Middletown, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania: 17057, of the Harrisburg metropolitan area*Middletown, Northampton County, Pennsylvania: 18017...

 and Hershey

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Hershey is a census-designated place in Derry Township, Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The community is located 14 miles east of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hershey has no legal status as an incorporated municipality...

 gave Karns a total of eight stores.

The Central Penn Business Journal

Central Penn Business Journal

The Central Penn Business Journal is a business newspaper headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The publication is circulated on a weekly basis and covers five counties in central Pennsylvania: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York....

ranked Karns Quality Foods as the 35th largest privately held corporation in central Pennsylvania. As of 2009, it was ranked one of the 10 largest privately held companies in Cumberland County

Cumberland County, Pennsylvania

Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is one of three counties comprising the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 235,406.-History:...

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