JACKSON, MI – It was a blank space, but now a wall at Polly’s Country Market on Spring Arbor Road is turning the heads of grocery shoppers.
Zach Snyder of Jackson has finished decorating the building with a colorful mural of parrots that was prompted by the Kennedy family, owners of Polly’s Country Markets, as a way to give the space a facelift and brighten it up for shoppers.
“I want to inspire people and brighten up the space around everybody.” Snyder said. “I grew up down the road my whole life and came here all the time. It’s kind of a special thing to share my work with people I’ve known my whole life.”
Snyder usually favors painting abstract art, including using many different shapes and colors. However, for this mural, he said he wanted to do a little something different.
It took him a week to finish the mural, but now people walking by will see three parrots on their way into the store. The parrot is a nod to the origins of the store, he said.
Frank A. Kennedy, founder of the independent, family-owned business in 1934, really wanted to put a parrot on display in his first store as a gimmick.
Related: Peek Through Time: ‘Polly the parrot’ has helped fill Jackson cupboards
However, with food regulations and laws, the idea was later abandoned, and instead, the parrot would become the company’s namesake and mascot.
“I thought it was cool, the history behind that,” Snyder said.
As Snyder was painting, he said several customers came up to him and complimented the mural. Many asked if he painted it himself and thought the birds were a nice touch to the store, he said.
Snyder’s work can be seen elsewhere in Jackson.
He previously painted the inside of a tunnel connecting the Charles Anderson building to the Henry Ford Jackson Hospital in 2019. He also helped Arlin Graff paint the background of his rhinoceros mural during Bright Walls 2019.
Snyder began painting while studying illustration at Grand Valley State University. Once he was given the space to paint, he couldn’t stop, he said, and his passion led him to create murals in Grand Rapids and Detroit.
However, after the many works he’s done, Snyder said this mural at Polly’s is probably one of his favorites.
“I’m very proud of it, not just because it looks good, but it came together really fast and I didn’t have any major setbacks,” Snyder said. “It came together perfectly.”
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