Stardew Valley: JojaMart vs The Community Center (Pros, Cons, & Rewards)

(Estimated Read Time: 8 minutes)

Every Stardew Valley player must eventually choose which establishment to repair first: JojaMart or the Community Center. The former is generally easier to rebuild than the latter, but is it worth it? As the first and most important major decision in Stardew Valley, we're here to help by breaking down the pros and cons of JojaMart vs The Community Center.

Stardew Valley: JojaMart vs. The Community Center

Note that players can’t fully repair JojaMart and the Community Center in Stardew Valley. Choosing one will remove the option to rebuild the other. With that, let’s take a look at JojaMart and the Community Center in more detail to help with your decision-making:

JojaMart: Speed and Convenience

Owned by the “Joja Corporation,” JojaMart begins as a rundown convenience store managed by Morris. It’s also Pierre’s General Store’s main competitor, which means it’ll sell various seeds and other items once repaired. Walk inside to find Morris, and he’ll then ask for a JojaMart Membership for 5,000 gold pieces. Agree, and the rundown Community Center transforms into the Joja Warehouse. From this point, you can give gold to Morris to restore various features surrounding Stardew Valley. These community development projects from JojaMart are the following:

• Minecarts: Restores the mine cart system across Stardew Valley for 15,000 gold pieces
• Panning: Removes the boulder near the mine entrance for 20,000 gold pieces
• Bridge: Repairs the bridge in the mountains and restores access to the Quarry for 25,000 gold pieces
• Greenhouse: Repairs the greenhouse on the farm for 35,000 gold pieces
• Bus: Restores the bus system that runs from Pelican Town to Calico Desert for 40,000 gold pieces.

Unlike restoring the Community Center, players won’t need to gather various items to complete these development projects. Your only challenge is to gather as many gold pieces as possible to pay Morris. With JojaMart completed, players can start buying items from the store. The items you can buy are the following:

Permanent Stock

• Joja Cola: 75 gold pieces
• Joja Wallpaper: 20 gold pieces
• J. Cola Light: 500 gold pieces
• Grass Starter: 125 gold pieces
• Sugar: 125 gold pieces
• Wheat Flour: 125 gold pieces
• Rice: 250 gold pieces
• Auto-Petter (must complete Joja Warehouse route): 50,000 gold pieces
• Random Wallpaper: 250 gold pieces
• Random Flooring: 250 gold pieces

Spring-Exclusive Stock

• Parsnip Seeds: 25 gold pieces
• Bean Starter: 75 gold pieces
• Cauliflower Seeds: 100 gold pieces
• Potato Seeds: 62 gold pieces
• Tulip Bulb: 25 gold pieces
• Kale Seeds: 87 gold pieces
• Jazz Seeds: 37 gold pieces

Summer-Exclusive Stock

• Tomato Seeds: 62 gold pieces
• Pepper Seeds: 50 gold pieces
• Wheat Seeds: 12 gold pieces
• Radish Seeds: 50 gold pieces
• Melon Seeds: 100 gold pieces
• Hops Starter: 75 gold pieces
• Poppy Seeds: 125 gold pieces
• Spangle Seeds: 62 gold pieces
• Sunflower Seeds: 125 gold pieces

Fall-Exclusive Stock

• Corn Seeds: 187 gold pieces
• Eggplant Seeds: 25 gold pieces
• Pumpkin Seeds: 125 gold pieces
• Amaranth Seeds: 87 gold pieces
• Grape Starter: 75 gold pieces
• Yam Seeds: 75 gold pieces
• Bok Choy Seeds: 62 gold pieces
• Cranberry Seeds: 300 gold pieces
• Sunflower Seeds: 125 gold pieces
• Fairy Seeds: 250 gold pieces
• Wheat Seeds: 12 gold pieces

Note: JojaMart closes for the Winter and will resume operations in Spring.

The Community Center: Bundles and Movies

Unlike JojaMart, no one is managing the Community Center in Stardew Valley in the beginning. Players can access the rundown establishment without paying an NPC a membership fee. So, you can begin with the restoration as early as Spring 5 of Year 1. However, you must interact with Mayor Lewis and unlock the “Rat Problem” quest. But you must only interact with the Golden Scroll at the Community Center’s lower-left room and talk with the Wizard at his tower in Cindersap Forest to receive a potion. Consume that potion and return to the Community Center to talk with the Junimos, the small creatures in the Community Center, and complete the quest. Then, you can start giving the Junimos items to complete bundles. Completing bundles in the Community Center will provide the same rewards as giving Morris money for development projects. However, each room has multiple bundles to complete, requiring multiple items. That means rebuilding the Community Center generally takes longer than repairing JojaMart, especially since some required items are locked behind specific seasons. Note: Read our Stardew Valley Community Center Guide to learn about these bundles and their rewards. If you fully rebuild the Community Center, JojaMart goes out of business and won’t return for the game’s entirety. Morris abandons the store, and the establishment becomes disheveled. On the other hand, Pierre’s General Store will now be open every day instead of closing on Wednesdays, seeing that his rival from Stardew Valley is gone. Additionally, completing the “Missing Bundle” in the abandoned JojaMart will turn the establishment into a movie theater.

JojaMart vs. The Community Center: Pros and Cons

Rebuilding the JojaMart and the Community Center in Stardew Valley has pros and cons. At the end of the day, it’s up to the player’s preference which building they want to restore for their specific save file. Nonetheless, here’s a quick rundown of the advantages and disadvantages of rebuilding these two establishments in Stardew Valley:

Community Center Pros

• Lets the player understand the game’s resource management system
• Explore the game at a steady pace
• Unlocks the movie theater
• Pierre’s General Store will open every day

Community Center Cons

• Requires significant time, effort, and patience to complete
• Some players may feel the task of completing each bundle to be repetitive

JojaMart Pros

• Easy access to features and rewards
• Ideal for players looking to try a new farm layout without spending too much time grinding for items

JojaMart Cons

• Might detract from the game’s overall fun and immersion for some players

Repairing JojaMart and the Community Center in Stardew Valley: Is it Possible?

As of version 1.4, it’s no longer possible to buy a JojaMart membership and rebuild that store after completing the Community Center. However, it’s possible to acquire some of the rewards from completing certain Community Center bundles before restoring JojaMart. If so, players must complete most but not all of the bundles in the Community Center. Then, talk to Morris at JojaMart and purchase the subscription. That way, you can still keep the bundle rewards and rebuild JojaMart. However, this path still ends with the Community Center turning into the Joja Warehouse.