Big Bear Stores was a regional supermarket chain operating in Ohio and West Virginia (both states of the United States of America) between 1933 and 2004. The company was founded in Columbus, Ohio, and was headquartered there until its acquisition by Syracuse, New York-based Penn Traffic in 1989. Upon Penn Traffic's bankruptcy in 2004, all remaining Big Bear Stores closed. For nearly 75 years, the chain was a Central Ohio institution.