A Moment in History
The Neighborhood Grocery and Market
Once suburban neighborhoods were plotted out and developed, the neighborhood grocery store became a necessity. Big Spring grocers and markets were not unlike any of the other small towns. People needed the convenience of walking a few blocks for milk, bread, eggs or other basics. Some of those grocers offered delivery services to their customers.
They were usually a Mom and Pop operation. The stores were set up in a small and unassuming building that was centrally located within the neighborhood. Customers would phone or come into the store with a small list of items. They would hand the list to the owner or clerk who would retrieve the items, place them in a paper bag and give to the customer once they paid. Almost all of the grocers had a credit system. Charges were recorded in a monthly ledger or on a tablet. At the end of the month the customer would come to the store with cash in hand to settle their debt.
Store products were neatly displayed on shelves that were distributed around the store. Nothing too fancy, just simple basic displays. Inevitably there would be penny candy displayed in jars on the counter. Some of the larger stores had entire shelves displayed with candy bars and wrapped penny candy.
My grandparents had a small store at Lake Thomas. Us kids were firmly told to never take candy from the counter, that was stealing. The little wrapped chocolate footballs were a favorite with the boys. My cousin Renea had a plan of her own, taking and hiding the candy, while running to the outside bathroom to eat it. I would never steal candy. I was too afraid of my grandpa. I did sneak behind the counter and take the little jelly
containers that restaurants still have today. They were so cute and little which helped me make a quick getaway. I was technically not stealing because I was never told not to get it. At least that is how I rationalized it. I am sure I snuck just as much candy as the rest. Today, I realize with six little grandchildren running wild in a store, profits could be quickly diminished.
A few of the stores had meat markets in the back as did the B&B Store located at 3rd and Benton Streets. The floor was covered in sawdust that was used to absorb the meat renderings and blood and prevented the floor from becoming slick and hazardous. There was a low counter that secluded the meat market and prevented customers from meandering back in the area. The butcher wrapped the customers' meat choices in butcher paper and tied it with a string. The B&B Parkway Grocery had their grand opening in 1953. They did have refrigerated cases at that time and even sold beer but never on a Sunday. The B & B store closed in 1972.
Before the 1930's, people purchased items from the grocers on a daily basis since they had no way of keeping things cold or frozen. By the 1940's, most homes were equipped with a refrigerator. The milkman typically delivered to the homes, but other items could be quickly delivered if necessary. Two car families were not as prevalent as they are today. Mom would be home with the children, and it was a great luxury to be able to send Junior to the store for something needed. To stock their stores, the grocers purchased wholesale from one of the local dealers. Radford and Stripling Wholesale companies were two large distributors in Big Spring.
Between 1930 and 1980, the local grocer and market changed locations and ownerships quite
frequently. It becomes very daunting to trace their history.
John Hodges Grocery and Market was built at 506 Johnson Street in 1938. Previously Hodges was located at 211 East Third. (Across from Settles) Rogers Food Store opened their grocer at 607 Gregg Street in May 1946. Five months later, the store caught fire in the basement. Rogers had a fire sale and remained in the building as it was renovated. In November 1947, they moved to the former Hodges Grocery at 506 Johnson Street. Roy Carter's store was located at 1010 West Third. They needed more space and moved into the 607 Gregg Street location.
The Washington residential area had two stores located along Eleventh Place. Bud's was at the corner of 109 Donley and East Eleventh Place. Bud Green had formerly worked at Radford Kimball Wholesale Grocers before starting out on his own in 1951. Before Bud Green purchased his store the building was first occupied by Mrs. W. Warlick named the Bungalow Grocery in 1931. It later became O'briens Grocery before O'brien moved to the rock building at 1201 East Eleventh. That building was purchased by Hercules Agee and named Agee's Grocer in 1951, confused yet? Agee was a popular man with the children in the neighborhood. He carried a nice variety of their favorite product, candy. By 1974, Agee said he could no longer pay “today's butcher wages.” He chose to close the store while he was still young enough to enjoy the other things in life including his family, wife Dempsey, daughter Darlene Dabney and granddaughter, Melody Dabney. Most of Agee's life had been devoted to the food industry while he set up a nice business in his local store. Agee's complaint is the same as other business owners today. The continual high cost of merchandise.