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Saturday, March 10, 2012

1928: SANHICAN MARKET

Before there were those newfangled "Super Markets," we had the neighborhood grocery store. It was usually a relatively small room with shelves around 3 walls with the counter taking over the 4th wall. The grocer had the shelves stocked floor to ceiling and in order to reach a product on the top shelf he utilized that "grocery grabber" and retrieved it from it storage space on high. We all had a neighborhood grocer. Service was highly personalized and our friendly neighborhood grocer knew us all by name. Most of us had a running IOU with the trusting grocer. In our neighborhood it was Palombi's on South Olden Avenue. Then along came the precursor to today's supermarket; a new innovation known as "American Stores." They were a bit larger and held a more comprehensive stock. The rest is history. In the late 40's or early 50's the supermarket was introduced to the American consumer. Remember "Food Fair?"

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM....YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH THAT IOU STATEMENT. IN OUR STORE ON MOTT STREET MY MOTHER SAID ALMOST ALL THE PEOPLE BOUGHT THINGS IOU AND TOO MANY NEVER PAID. WITH AMERICAN STORES AND A AND P YOU COULD'NT DO THAT. WE ONLY HAD THE STORE A SHORT WHILE BEFORE WE MOVED TO BERT AVE. DURING THE 20'S. REGARDS.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

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Anonymous Anonymous said...

In the 1960's The Sanhican had a wonderful soda shop. We would get off the Hiltonia after class and after dropping off the school books shuffle through the leaves down state to have soda or malt with that special girl.

Ed Millerick

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Michael said...

Tom:
The building pictured, housed my first very own Real Estate & Insurance office back in 1962, when I partnered with Laura Garman.
This was behind what is pictured as the market, fronting on a widened expanse of Edgewood Ave. they opened up to develope with Apartments and stores.
You would remember Glen Garr's orchestre from wqy back when, Glen Garr was Charlie Garman, Laura's husband who had Bill Buffin the Sacred Heart mainstay as his lead singer.

The market ultimately became John Brown's ( Braun) Uncle to Tooter Braun of the St. Louis Cardinal's.) barber shop.
Ed Mentions the soda fountain. The guy who ran that was my landlord for the office, his name was Thelbert (Bob) Sharpley.

That neighborhood had the "Loggie", the canal feeder which became Rt. 29 freeway, and the famous "Shakey Bridge" located next to the Filtration plant.
Still there, but no longer enjoyable.
Regards from the South

Mike Kuzma

4 comments:

RALPH LUCARELLA said...

HI TOM....YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD WITH THAT IOU STATEMENT. IN OUR STORE ON MOTT STREET MY MOTHER SAID ALMOST ALL THE PEOPLE BOUGHT THINGS IOU AND TOO MANY NEVER PAID. WITH AMERICAN STORES AND A AND P YOU COULD'NT DO THAT. WE ONLY HAD THE STORE A SHORT WHILE BEFORE WE MOVED TO BERT AVE. DURING THE 20'S. REGARDS.

Anonymous said...

In the 1960's The Sanhican had a wonderful soda shop. We would get off the Hiltonia after class and after dropping off the school books shuffle through the leaves down state to have soda or malt with that special girl.

Ed Millerick

Michael said...

Tom:
The building pictured, housed my first very own Real Estate & Insurance office back in 1962, when I partnered with Laura Garman.
This was behind what is pictured as the market, fronting on a widened expanse of Edgewood Ave. they opened up to develope with Apartments and stores.
You would remember Glen Garr's orchestre from wqy back when, Glen Garr was Charlie Garman, Laura's husband who had Bill Buffin the Sacred Heart mainstay as his lead singer.

The market ultimately became John Brown's ( Braun) Uncle to Tooter Braun of the St. Louis Cardinal's.) barber shop.
Ed Mentions the soda fountain. The guy who ran that was my landlord for the office, his name was Thelbert (Bob) Sharpley.

That neighborhood had the "Loggie", the canal feeder which became Rt. 29 freeway, and the famous "Shakey Bridge" located next to the Filtration plant.
Still there, but no longer enjoyable.
Regards from the South

Mike Kuzma

Anonymous said...

Wow, I live near there today - on The Island. That store looks quite shady and unwelcoming today. Rough area these days. And BOY! Could we use a GOOD store like this now!!