Lee and Shari Badger opened Lee's Marketplace in 1981 in Smithfield. It wasn't until 1994 with the growth of Northern Cache Valley that they decided to build their larger location on the south side of Smithfield that we all know and love. Only five years later, they opened their Logan location in 1999 so that Utah State students had an easier access to their good prices and delectable bread and deli. 

Today, Lee's now has locations in North Ogden, Heber, North Salt Lake, Salt Lake City, and Herriman, offering quality, freshness, and made-from-scratch promise that it is known for. 

Tragically, Lee Badger passed away peacefully at his home Aug 13, 2009 of Lou Gehrig's disease, aka, ALS. However, this would not prevent the company from its progress to help their customers. In fact, they have been able to donate more than $143,000 to help with medical aid toward the disease. After his death, Lee's son Jonathan became president of Lee's Marketplace. 

Lee's announced that they were building their Richmond location in 2016 by placing a sign on the field they had purchased from the Harris family. They stated in a Herald Journal article in 2017 that they weren't going to build the Richmond location for a few years. Those few years turned into five years when in May of 2022, Lee's finally broke ground to build. They were originally going to open a year later in May of 2023, but due to poor weather from this year's winter, they had to postpone until June. 

“The anticipation of this store’s opening has kept us all anxiously waiting,” said Jonathan Badger. “Cache Valley is our home, and we are thrilled to bring our friendly service..." 

Lee's Marketplace in Richmond opened June 21, 2023.