Students at Franklin High School enjoy local corner store Jackets for several reasons, like the proximity to school, the affordable prices, popular snack and beverage choices, and the friendly service. However, not many people know the history behind the store and its current owners, Mike and Georgia Villiapando.

The Jackets store has been a part of the FHS community for nearly 60 years. It has been around since at least the 1980s when the current owners’ parents attended FHS. In 2019, the Villiapandos, who are also FHS alumni and former Jackets customers, bought the store from the previous owners, who had themselves purchased it from the original owners. The Villiapandos said they bought Jackets because they felt nostalgic about the store from their school days and had past experience buying property.

The store isn’t only for students; it’s a real business that operates during school hours. This has caused issues over the past two years because students would ditch classes and leave campus to go to Jackets. That issue was solved mainly when the school put up gates around the exits a year ago.

According to Georgia, one of the benefits of running the store is the daily visits from students. Meeting new people each year and forming connections with them until they graduate helps create an upbeat atmosphere for everyone. To express her feelings about the FHS community, she stated, “Go Jackets!”

Members of the FHS community have also shared some fun and interesting thoughts about Jackets. Mr. James, the IB English teacher, acknowledged that he used to have a running tab with the previous owners when he first joined the faculty. He would order food and pay the bill at the end of each month.

Current FHS students also have things to say about Jackets. One student, Paola Valencia-Lopez (9) said that she “loves the cheap food,” while another student, Daniel Luna (11) commented that he “loves how near it is to campus,” making it easy for him to grab food right after school.

Mike and Georgia said they will continue to run the store for the foreseeable future, happily providing students with the energy they need to power through their day.