HISTORICAL COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 3-8-14

The Grocery Store

How many of us remember the corner grocery store? It seems like there was one on every corner when I was growing up. In 1899 there were 28 grocery stores listed in the Salisbury City Directory. This figure grew to the following numbers: by 1907 – 35, by 1920 – 37, by 1940 – 62 and finally in 1961 their numbers had grown to 92. There were many things about the corner grocery store that you cannot find today. Every local grocer knew his clientele and would often let them “slide” until they could pay. I guess this was the forerunner of the modern credit card, even though much less formalized. It’s true that the world has grown bigger and everything in it has grown proportionately larger as a result.

When a local businessman would open a grocery store at the turn of the 20th century, he depended on the attractiveness of his products to sell themselves. The old lithograph labels that went on cans of fruits and vegetables were works of art in themselves, although a lot of artistic license was taken as to the origin of the product. I have seen a label from Willing’s canned tomatoes in Nanticoke with a nature scene on it with mountains in the background. Some were embossed, and many had pictures that were suitable for framing. Collecting these labels has become a hobby in itself.

I remember Mom giving me two quarters to go across Church and Truitt Streets and get her a loaf of bread and a quart of milk from Mr. Ford’s store. In those days, Church Street was Rt. 50 and the main road to Ocean City. He had two gas pumps out front at one time but took them out for fear that one of the many accidents on that corner would lead to disastrous results one day. I used to like to go because of the penny candy, which every store had. I’m sure everyone remembers their favorite selection. And remembers when soft drink bottles were able to be redeemed for two cents. The drink itself was only a nickel so three bottles would get you a drink and a piece of penny candy.

When I was going to St. Francis, I remember Rayne’s on Smith St. I used to buy baseball cards there. I would wait until I saw a card I didn’t have and knew that Mrs. Rayne had received a new order. I would then go over there and buy a box from the new order, knowing that a new series was out. In a box I would usually get about 117 cards out of 125 in the series and enough “doubles” to trade for the ones I didn’t get. While some kids were spending a fortune, I would only have to spend $1.20 to get the whole series. Looking back, that was a great plan. I kept those cards until they went so high in the late 1980’s, the money looked better than the cards.

I had two great aunts that had a store known to many a Salisbury youth way back when. It was called Dae & Dodie’s and was on Walnut Street. Dae was Daisy McConnell and Dodie was Dora Disharoon. They were my grandfather’s sisters, but they were born after he ran away from home so he never was raised with them. The building is gone now and only memories exist. My grandparents lived around the corner on Gay St., but since they moved when I was five, I didn’t frequent Dae & Dodie’s. I remember going in there once and it was magical. Naturally, they wanted to give their nephew whatever he wanted and the place was full of candy. I think it also had wooden floors and they creaked with certain sounds that seem to make the place come alive. They had a certain warmth and nostalgia that you will never find in the antiseptic floors in the modern supermarket.