On Vacation - Cincinnati

One corner inside Keepsakes. 10/4/25 dwm

The first stop in Cincinnati, Ohio was a small shop for cross-stichers like my wife.

I went inside for a few minutes, then left the shopping to her. The shop former home is full of sale items and has supplies taking space over every square inch of wall.

So, where did we go to visit next?

A grocery store. Well, Jungle Jim's isn't just a grocery store; it's an experience. When we lived in Indiana, we occasionally made trips to the Queen City, but for some reason, I wasn't with my wife and boys when they included a stop at Jungle Jim's.

The giraffe entrance to the store. 10/4/25 dwm

You know it's going to be different when the store's name is listed as an attraction on a sign along the interstate that circles Cincinnati. The next indication is the gorilla hanging on a weather vane and giraffes outside the door.

James A. Bonaminio was born in Lorain, Ohio in 1949. His story is told on the store's website. He was a businessman at a young age, finding and cleaning golf balls then reselling them. Eventually, he sold produce from a fruit stand in 1971 and in 1974 bought land for his first store.

There are mountains of produce. 10/4/25 dwm

It wasn't until the 1980s that Jim made the store into what you'll see now. Today, each store is more than 200,000 square feet. There are dozens of displays throughout the store.

It's a family-owned operation started by a guy who worked his way up with hard work; leading with customer service; and treating customers as gold.

The stores became a tourist attraction organically, through word-of-mouth and feature stories in print and on TV.

There are several vehicles above the store. dwm

Over the seafood department is a boat with the cast of Gilligan's Island painted on it's starboard side. Next to the boat is a cereal band with characters representing their various morning foods.

You can choose between live lobster, crab, and a tank of Tilapia that can be cleaned for you to take home. There were more types of shellfish than I could identify. I recognized the conch and clams, but after that, I'd need some of their customer service.

The store just keeps going and going. There are multiple checkout areas of the store identified the same way the parking lots are, with the names of animals. There were lots and lanes for giraffe and rhinos, maybe more.

A swinging can of soup. dwm

Around the outside of the store are other stores, like an ice cream shop, a bank, and Jersey Mike's.

Some displays come to life every five minutes, including a lion that bore a resemblance to Elvis (see photo below).

There's a tiki-bar that serves a variety of juices and a small theater where you can watch the story of Jungle Jim's as told by the owner (you can also see it by visiting their website using the link at the top of post).

We visited early Saturday morning when most customers were there for the selection and the value instead of glitz and showmanship. My interaction with a couple of employees was delightful as they went to great lengths to make sure I found the selection of store merchandise.

If you haven't been there but live within a couple hours of Cincinnati, it's worth a trip to show your out-of-town guests or entertain the kids. You could easily spend a couple of hours enjoying the show and the store.