MarkTheStoreowner

MarkTheStoreowner is a recognized myth that involves much interaction to both convey an apparent story and provide accessibility to unique mechanics within his game, despite activity being infrequent. He’s a man with extremely violent, irregular behavior who runs what is left of his corner store after a monster apocalypse was brought about the world. His place is largely deserted of residents despite the multiple sleeping areas, which raises the question of what exactly happened to these people, and especially Clair, his friend. MarkTheStoreowner was slightly noticed in 2020 parallel to their low activity, but became significantly more recognizable in 2023 on account of a janiphoria’s YouTube video and Paradox of Myths’ investigation.
==Biography==
MarkTheStoreowner resides among the rubble of his corner store managing what isn’t buried or destroyed because of the apocalypse that surrounds him. This apocalypse was the result of a failed government operation where creatures created through laboratory experiments escaped from at least the United States.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GUXkS7iUB0&list=PLt1Rk3tMyX62AF_52iiySXhElN9j84Sx-&index=3&t=1101s Survival with such monsters was described as impossible due to their incredibly fast regeneration. In response, Mark decided to never leave his store and to continue operating it as normal. However, the decline of the store also brought the decline of MarkTheStoreowner’s mental state. Not only was there most likely an increase in his egotistical and tyrant behavior, but also, either a development or increase in a paranoid personality disorder triggered when the power grid turns off. 
Once the apocalypse began, Mark seemingly found a group of survivors that could stay at the corner store with him, one being a little girl named Clair. A few appeared to have worked for him such as his security guard, but it is uncertain as to how many people there were and what they all did. At some point, some of the survivors wanted to leave the corner store because of a drought of food.As seen in image 11 of the Gallery. In response, Mark killed them by seemingly locking them in rooms so they would starve or dehydrate to death.As seen in image 10 of the Gallery. What happened to any possible others or Clair is unknown, but Mark only has customers and his two co-workers now. This is besides the moving mannequins standing around the store that he can have a conversation with. For now, Mark’s Corner Store is largely deserted unless visited by Mark and some customers every once and a while. The mystery about what happened to Clair, and what’s going on inside of MarkTheStoreowner’s head, is still at large.
==History==
MarkTheStoreowner joined Roblox on 3/12/2020 and created their game, “Mark’s Corner Store”, the same day. The account was first mentioned by myth hunters four days laterAs seen in image 14 & 15 of the Gallery. in the Robloxian Myth Hunters Discord Server after noticing the user mysteriously had ClausAconite and DrMach friendedAs seen in image 2 of the Gallery., two notable myths among the community. When he was first discovered, his game was just named, “Corner Store”, and he had a simple avatar out of what could be made with free items.As seen in image 1 of the Gallery. Myth hunters recklesshavok, PlzdonateIpoor, and Choujiro investigated MarkTheStoreowner in as much detail as was available from the 16th to the 18th. After an apparent interaction with Mark on the 16th, he closed his game for further development and was then reopened on the 18th. With this reopening was a new friend by the name of HeraldsPizzaPlace, an account that joined Roblox on 3/17/2020. Although Herald instantly interacted with the huntersAs seen in image 4 of the Gallery., he seemingly never finished his pizza place and the account was left discontinued. 
For the next three years, there has been little available documentation regarding MarkTheStoreowner and his place. Therefore, it can be inferred that he was mostly inactive during this time, only interacting with hunters and updating his game every so often. It is said that hunters from Roblox’s Myths did have records of the myth’s activity, but they’ve become unreachable along with their documentation. Within the duration of 3/18/2020 to early 2023, MarkTheStoreowner had updated their game heavily to include more features of a store, changed their avatar, and became friends with many different users while unfriending some, such as the original three that he had listed as friends. There was also the creation of his group that occurred on August 10th, 2021. When exactly mrflimflam became friends with Mark is unknown, but there wasn’t an official interaction between the two besides messages to each other. 
During December 2022, MarkTheStoreowner began becoming significantly more active through general interactions with others in the myth community. This led into the following year with there being a huge bump with the YouTuber, janiphoria, recording their experience with the myth. It was uploaded on February 28th, 2023, and caused there to be a large influx of players visiting the store. This video also resulted in an official investigation of MarkTheStoreowner by Paradox of Myths, hosted by 5alware. Janiphoria’s YouTube video also introduced a new character to “Mark’s Corner Store”, EdgarReels. At some point after this, AdamReith was also hired as a janitor. Despite there being constant interactions with these users for the next two months, little recordings have been made public. After this initial surge in popularity, Mark became much more inactive, only appearing a few times per month if at all. This affected the PoM Investigation as well until a reinstatement happened by moocowmemilk on 8/28/2023 to go along with the server redesign. This action wiped out any previous investigation records but it eventually led to attempts at interaction with MarkTheStoreowner, and later a collective document. The produced document was written by myth hunter, Mr_OOFAlot.As seen in link 2 of References. 
==Appearance==
MarkTheStoreowner currently wears one main outfit consisting of a “Mark” hoodie and pants dedicated to him, the “Crazy Game Dev Hair”, Stubble Beard, and the “Concerned” face. There were three older avatars he utilized with the first being incredibly basic. This was from when the account was first noticed by myth hunters. It featured a simple green shirt depicted through colored body parts, a smile face, and the “Brown Hair”. 
Another outfit that was used in April 2021 had a dark red flannel with jeans, the “Concerned” face, Stubble Beard, and some black, messy hair that is combed forward. The exact items for the clothing and hair are unknown. The final outfit before the current one was during the resurgence in activity. This appearance was quite similar to the current one but with the “Shaggy 2.0” hair and a lighter version of the “Employee” apron and pants.
==Personality and Traits==
MarkTheStoreowner has consistently presented an arrogant and controlling personality towards most people. They’re either viewed as snoopy and disrespectful or lazy workers. Although, he has shown himself to be much more passive to those of notability such as janiphoria or Ostedia. To elaborate, Mark may make rude comments to customers because of attempting to explore restricted areas in the store or may do it completely unprovoked. This behavior carries onto EdgarReels especially, which has led to fights between the two.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWAhTjklsUc&list=PLt1Rk3tMyX62AF_52iiySXhElN9j84Sx-&index=2 In terms of MarkTheStoreowner’s personality, while not interacting with others, he appears to be somewhat insane despite swearing otherwise. This can be concluded because he acts as if his corner store were still running like normal while the world surrounding him is experiencing an apocalypse, because of him speaking to mannequins as if they were people, and because of his murderous tendencies.
==Game==
===Mark's Corner Store===
“Mark’s Corner Store” features a trashed, small grocery store that prohibits its few inhabitants from the outside world that is believed to be experiencing some sort of apocalypse. Secret passages and items are used for the progression alongside occasional notes and drawings. Although this makes the content in the store quite limited, more can be experienced when MarkTheStoreowner and his employees happen to be in-game. When under these circumstances, events such as the power going out may occur, or tasks may be given to the player as if they worked at the store. These tasks consist of setting up displays of cans, collecting and disposing of trash bags, mopping the floors, dusting the shelves, cleaning the toilets, and wearing a dunce cap. Tasks given to more experienced employees may be speaking to mannequins, disposing of the security guard, and boarding up the windows of the store.
Walkthrough warning, please attempt to hunt before viewing, click "Show More" to view.
When the player spawns into “Mark’s Corner Store”, they will find themselves in a hallway cramped with boxes, shelves, and piles of dirt intruding from the outside throughout the entire store. Behind them is a fire exit with a plank stopping it from being used as an entrance or exit. Continuing into the store, the player will find aisles empty of products besides any few cans left in a cart. There are lots of mannequins placed around the place that appear to move every once in a while. The constant electrical issues, trash bags left on the floor, and overall messiness make it apparent the store shouldn’t be in business. The left wall of the store has two doors; one for the bathroom near the spawn hallway and another closer to the deli. This second one is locked for employees only as it leads to the security office. Although the bathroom has its usual qualities like stalls and sinks, it also has sleeping bags and needs as if it were being utilized as living quarters. Two drawings made with crayons lay next to the beds. The first depicts a “mannequin” named Dave shopping with a little girl in a pink dress. The line “Run…” is written three times in gray as if it were being said by Dave. The next picture shows the aforementioned security door with the onomatopoeia, ”BANG”, written in red four times.
On the other side of the store is the main entrance, which has been blocked off by numerous objects. The registers are also located up here but now they just serve as tables. There are three; the middle register has a note left on it and the one closest to the deli has a drawing, similar to those in the bathroom. The note reads, “Mark, I left you this note to let you know, I’m taking off for the day. We’ve run out of stock, and things aren’t looking great. The drought of food has really hit us hard, and I need to go out looking for more. I’ll speak with you once I’m back.” The drawing on the register desk sits next to a clock. It says, “Thank you Mark :)”, with a drawing of Mark and a heart. The drawing is signed by somebody by the name of Clair. The deli does have stocked coolers of milk and water. There is another set of two sleeping bags here as well as another note reading, “Hey Mark, I left this note on the butcher’s counter to let you know, I quit. I can’t do this anymore. This place is a real mess, everyone is in struggle, and quite frankly I haven’t eaten in days. If you wanna talk with me, I’ll come by one last time this evening.” The door inside the deli area which leads to a room behind it is locked. Following the hallway to the side of the deli, the player should find another door to that back room. There is also a shipment station down this hallway. Both doors are locked.
To access the security room, the player should return to the hallway they had spawned at. Behind all the clutter to the left is an open ventilation grate, which can be followed to another opening. They will find themselves inside the security room where a skeleton sits in a chair, a note lays on a box, and a key hangs from a coat rack. Again, the note reads, “Why’d you leave me in here Mark? I know we’ve had our tough times, but you’ve really lost it. Please let me out of here if you read this again Mark. I’m running out of food, and I’m really thirsty. I’ve been this security guard at this store for years, and I never did anything to hurt you, Mark. Please let me go home.” The key when collected is labeled, “Storage Key”. This can be used to unlock the door to the shipment station area. A trash disposal, a truck, and loads of boxes can be seen across the place. Another exit door is blocked off in this part of the store too. Additionally, there is a mannequin with a specific black hat. This hat is the same hat that the myth, TwistedThorey, wears, making this a reference to him on account of Mark being friends with him. Inside of the truck is the “Backroom Key” for the room behind the deli. 
The backroom appears to be an office and living place for MarkTheStoreowner, as there is a desk with miscellaneous materials and a sleeping bag. Among all the papers scattered around the desk is one that can be interacted with, presenting the following text: “I swear to the great god above, I am not insane. For days now, every customer that comes through those doors has often mocked me, and looked at me funny. I am not crazy. I know what I’ve seen, and what I’ve heard. It seems as though only I will truly understand. I cannot do this anymore. They come into the store announced, they snoop around, and it’s driving me insane. I can’t take it anymore. I just can’t do it. I JUST CAN’T. I JUST CAN’T.” A walk-in freezer is connected to this backroom too, but it is boarded up by a plank. Through the window, three remains of people can be seen propped up around the room. This is all the notable details and secrets to “Mark’s Corner Store” from what is known, unless in the scenario that MarkTheStoreowner is within the store with the player.
==Group==
===Mark's Corner Store===
This group really only acts as a support group and formal connection of the corner store employees to MarkTheStoreowner. There is no open group wall though so contact with Mark is still limited to finding him in-game. No other details about this group are important besides the empty "Regular Customers" rank and "Workers" rank. These are both presumed to be for hunters since janiphoria is ranked as a worker. 
==Relationships==
===EdgarReels===
EdgarReels was the first myth member of MarkTheStoreowner’s “Mark’s Corner Store” group and was revealed in late-February 2023As seen in link 3 of References. despite their account creation occurring on April 9th, 2020. Originally, he was a survivor within the apocalyptic world exploring for shelter and supplies while avoiding the creatures that were brought upon humans by the apocalypse. Along his journey, he came across the corner store but was filled with screams, so he skipped it until he became more desperate. Although he kindly met janiphoria, Mark was much more skeptical and rude about his presence. EdgarReels discovered the place harbored boxes upon boxes of food so he chose to stay as the technician of the corner store, but this came at the cost of being a ‘punching bag’ for Mark. Edgar documented his journey throughout the apocalyptic land in a journal that he seemingly lost pages to, only for them to be collected by the customers.As seen in image 13 of the Gallery.
His stay at the corner store meant there were often times when he appeared with MarkTheStoreowner and interacted with hunters. He would commonly man a register within the deli or maintain the electrical systems of the store during these times unless harassed by Mark. Inactivity followed for the most part after a few months, with EdgarReels last logging onto their profile on July 2nd, 2023.
===AdamReith===
AdamReith was the janitor of the “Mark’s Corner Store” group that is predicted to have joined in late February or March 2023, despite his account creation being on 12/20/2018. This is because EdgarReels was introduced as an employee before Adam joined, but not long before. Information regarding the janitor is extremely limited, as any mention is assumed to have been deleted during a Paradox of Myths Discord revamp. There are no recorded interactions with this individual, but it is believed that MarkTheStoreowner acts similarly to him as he does Edgar. After what few moments the account was on, it logged off for a final time on March 3rd, 2023.
===HeraldsPizzaPlace===
HeraldsPizzaPlace was the third account MarkTheStoreowner ever had listed as a friend but now remains inactive and unassociated with the myth like a defunct member. He intended to run a pizza place during an apocalypse like Mark’s corner store, except with a more realistic style to their establishment. The place seemed to have had a terrible habit of being the source of missing people, and allowing mutants into the pizza place, although, it is uncertain if they were dangerous or not. 
Very little content followed their initial discovery on 3/18/2020 besides a group of decalsAs seen in image 3 of the Gallery. uploaded for his pizza place. However, there was one ever recorded interaction with hunters in-game. The said interaction occurred inside “In Ruina Eius de Nephilim”, with PlzdonateIpoor and Choujiro, but all that happened was them saying two unimportant lines of text. After the account’s initial creation, it most likely was barely used other than to publish their unfinished pizza place. Whether HeraldsPizzaPlace and MarkTheStoreowner ever interacted with each other is uncertain but they most likely have not.
== Theories== 
*Clair was killed with the other customers or survivors from the beginning of the apocalypse after they aggravated him or tried to leave the store. 
** MarkTheStoreowner becomes hostile towards others easily, even without being provoked. Having to meet the wants and needs of those who live at his store may have put extra stress on him, convincing him to get rid of such an issue. 
***The corpses of people inside the walk-in cooler of the deli may have been locked inside so that they’d purposely starve or dehydrate to death.
***Clair most likely would not have been considered an “issue” by Mark since they appeared to be friends based on the drawings.As seen in image 12 of the Gallery. However, this might’ve just been her perception.
**Alternatively, Mark probably locked these people inside the cooler to prevent them from leaving the store just like what he did with the security guard. The motivation behind this may’ve been to keep them “safe”, or keep himself from loneliness. If he had this motivation, he may have applied it to the one he seemingly cared for the most, Clair. 
***It is assumed that Mark cared for Clair the most because it is the only original survivor that has been given a name. She also thanked him for something in one of her drawings.
** Another alternate scenario of this theory is that he was having a mental breakdown after the power went out, then causing him to “defend himself” from the survivors by killing them. Perhaps the bodies were moved to the cooler afterward. 
***One of EdgarReels’ notes from completing tasks in the game is that he heard a scream when he first tried to knock on the door of the store. He also stated that the store was “inhabited by survivors”, meaning more than just Mark was there. 
****It is possible that the screaming came from the cooler rather than in the store while Mark killed them.
***The issue with this theory is that there is no indication that any of the corpses in the cooler belong to Clair, a child. Therefore, the likelihood that Clair died in that cooler with the other survivors is low. 
*MarkTheStoreowner won’t let survivors leave his store because of something that happened to Clair. 
**Mark certainly has an issue with survivors leaving the store as concluded by the notes left around the store that mention how people want to leave but he won’t let them, and then there end up being dead bodies locked in rooms. However, none of these corpses identify themselves as Clair, and she has never appeared around the store with players.
**Instead of Mark just wanting to keep survivors “safe” because it is dangerous outside, perhaps he witnessed something horrible happen to somebody outside, which convinced him never to go outside. The death of somebody important to him may have changed his thoughts about the outside drastically. The only possible important person to him from what is known, is Clair. This means that Clair went outside once and was harmed in some manner to where he forbade those he took care of from leaving.
== Trivia==
*Multiple myth databases follow MarkTheStoreowner such as MythArchiver, DukeVonBavaria, and NotableMyths among other small ones.
*MarkTheStoreowner has had a variety of popular myths and myth hunters as friends besides their current ones. ClausAconite, DrMach, Hotisho, recklesshavok, and PickIeism are notable ones from what has been put on record.
*A Discord account exists for MarkTheStoreowner, but there are no public messages from him in any known place. There were said to be comments from him within the Paradox of Myths Discord Server, but the channel where it happened was deleted.
*Within relazus’ game, “My Home Town”, there are tons of references to myths involved with the group, “Collaboration!”.As seen in image 6 of the Gallery. Although MarkTheStoreowner is not a member of “Collaboration!”, there is a building labeled, “Mark’s Corner Store”, in the background.
==Gallery==
File:MStoreownerGallery1.png|[1] An image of MarkTheStoreowner’s profile from March 2020. 
File:MStoreownerGallery4.png|[2] An image of the three friends MarkTheStoreowner had on 3/18/2020, which was soon after the account’s creation.
File:MStoreownerGallery5.png|[3] An image of all HeraldsPizzaPlace’s decals from 3/18/2020, before they were deleted. Decal IDs available within the PoM Report under the "Images". This report is in our "References" heading.
File:MStoreownerGallery6.png|[4] HeraldsPizzaPlace’s only recorded interaction, and possibly even his only one, within the user Immortius’ game. He only said two messages towards the two hunters and then left.
File:MStoreownerGallery7.png|The trashy and abandoned entrance to the pizza place where the player will spawn. Posters are spread across the walls of the room and down the hallway.
File:MStoreownerGallery8.png|[6] The reference to MarkTheStoreowner inside relazus’ game, “My Home Town”. It appears to just be a fun reminder of him rather than anything having to do with the corner store’s lore.
File:MStoreownerGallery9.png|An image of the corner store taken from a front register. This is the main area that Mark would hang around when in-game.
File:MStoreownerGallery11.png|The inside of the shipping station where there is a mannequin with TwistedThorey’s hat, a truck with the backrooms key, and plenty of boxes of food.
File:MStoreownerGallery12.png|The backrooms of the corner store which has turned into MarkTheStoreowner’s living quarters. A note can be seen on his desk and his sleeping bag is on the floor.
File:MStoreownerGallery13.png|[10]The dead bodies left inside the refrigerator in the backrooms. When the player is close to this door, flies can be heard buzzing around in the room.
File:MStoreownerGallery14.png|[11] The three notes that can be found around the store from the security guard, addressed to MarkTheStoreowner.
File:MStoreownerGallery15.png|[12] A drawing found on top a register at the front of the store. It seems to be a picture of Mark by somebody with the name, Clair.
File:MStoreownerGallery17.png|[13] All notes that have been collected through completing tasks around the store.
File:MStoreownerGallery18.png|[14] Miscellaneous Discord messages from RMH following MarkTheStoreowner’s discovery.
File:MStoreownerGallery19.png|[15] Miscellaneous Discord messages from RMH following MarkTheStoreowner’s discovery.
==References==
MarkTheStoreowner’s Roblox Profile
PoM Investigation Report: MarkTheStoreowner
Janiphoria’s YouTube Investigation Video: "there’s something wrong with this roblox player…"
NoobyGump’s YouTube Investigation Video: "Exploring Mark’s Corner Store (Roblox Myths)"
NoobyGump’s Investigation Document on MarkTheStoreowner
MarkTheStoreowner Recorded Interactions
Category:Myths
Category:Inactive Myths
Category:Flamingo Related
Category:Recognized Myths
Category:Outspoken Era Myths
Category:Paradox of Myths Related