In 1952, JZ Earp opened a small grocery store on Fairview Road in Mint Hill. The first Earp's store included a full service gas station complete with auto repair bays and a car wash.  Fifteen years later, JZ's son Johnny and his wife Sue began running the station, called Earp's Grocery and Service.  During the 50s and 60s, the Earps sold groceries as well as feed and salt blocks for animals in the rural Mint Hill community.

In the early 1970s, the family partnered with Mark Oil Company of Charlotte. Since 2000, they have expanded, establishing their branded chain of convenience stores in Mint Hill and Charlotte.