Our condolences, thoghts, and prayers go out to Phil Peterson. His father, Leonard Peterson, passed away on April 1, 2012. His complete obituary can be found at http://www.brookingsregister.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&story_id=14098&page=80
and http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=604422Peterson.
I was unaware that he owned Midway Grocery Store. Brookings has one true grocery store today, Hy-Vee. Wal-Mart also has a grocery store in its big complex, so that makes two places to shop for food. There are also the convenience stores at the gas stations, but they don't deserve the name grocery store.
If memory serves me right, there were a number of grocery stores in Brookings when we grew up. The ones that come to mind are (1) Spies, which started at the corner of 3rd St. and 5th Avenue, right across from the John Deere dealership run by Kenny Beckman's father. I believe Tom Bozied's uncle, N. T., lived above the Spies building, and had a store of some kind there before Spies moved in. They then moved to their 6th St. location, perhaps in the early 60's. Isn’t there a picture of David Helfinstine in our yearbook when he worked there? They changed their name to County Market and moved out east past the swimming pool, maybe in the 80's. They ceased operations about ten years ago. Also on 5th Avenue and 5th St. was a (2)Council Oak store, kitty-corner from the playground at Central Elementary. West of there a couple of blocks, at 5th St. and 3rd Ave was a (3)National Tea store. (4)Red Owl at one time was on Main Ave., between 3rd and 4th Streets, before moving to Main and 7th St. There was also a (5)Service Grocery store that delivered to homes. That store, too, sponsored a women's fast-pitch softball team. I only know that because my sister played for them. At one time, they were located in the 300 block of Main, a few doors from the Red Owl store. Close to the softball park where they played on 2nd St. South and Main was another store run by Vern McCord, I believe. I just remember it by the name of the (6) "Little Store" or "South Side Grocery." A comment below does mention a Serve-Well store on the south side. That was the actual name of the store. Across from the swimming pool was (7) Chris's Market. On the college campus, on Medary near 8th St. was (8) Austin's. Our family often would go there because milk was 3 (half-gallons) for one dollar. At Spies, it was 40 cents a half-gallon. When we were in 6th grade (1962-63), Ralph Myers had a store in the old Ford Implement dealership, just east of Beckman's. I had a paper-route at that time, and would often treat myself to their Dolly Madison Boston Creme Pies. They were a dime or maybe even 12 cents, but I thought they were better than Twinkies. Midway, at 6th St. and Medary, makes the ninth grocery store in Brookings in the 50’s. Things have really changed since then, but who would have thought we would pay for a bottle of water, or buy milk and bread at the gas station, instead of gas and oil?
When my mom did her grocery shopping in the 50’s, she would take me and/or my younger brother along. She would have prepared her list so she could get the best prices, and we would walk to the neighborhood stores. Spies, Council Oak, National Tea, and Red Owl were the ones we seemed to frequent most often. We would walk from one to the next (my folks had no car). If our arms grew weary from carrying the grocery bags, we would stop and place the sacks on a fender of a car to let our arms rest. When we were refreshed, we started back on the journey again. If we ran out of milk, she might send my little brother and me to Spies, only two blocks away. We had a metal holder for six one-quart glass milk bottles. That was pretty heavy for two scrawny little kids, so we carried a belt with us. We wrapped the belt around the holder. I held on to one side of the belt, and he held on to the other. We may have had to set it down and rest once in a while, but we never broke one bottle.
and http://eidsnessfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/Eidsne1/obit.cgi?user=604422Peterson.
I was unaware that he owned Midway Grocery Store. Brookings has one true grocery store today, Hy-Vee. Wal-Mart also has a grocery store in its big complex, so that makes two places to shop for food. There are also the convenience stores at the gas stations, but they don't deserve the name grocery store.
If memory serves me right, there were a number of grocery stores in Brookings when we grew up. The ones that come to mind are (1) Spies, which started at the corner of 3rd St. and 5th Avenue, right across from the John Deere dealership run by Kenny Beckman's father. I believe Tom Bozied's uncle, N. T., lived above the Spies building, and had a store of some kind there before Spies moved in. They then moved to their 6th St. location, perhaps in the early 60's. Isn’t there a picture of David Helfinstine in our yearbook when he worked there? They changed their name to County Market and moved out east past the swimming pool, maybe in the 80's. They ceased operations about ten years ago. Also on 5th Avenue and 5th St. was a (2)Council Oak store, kitty-corner from the playground at Central Elementary. West of there a couple of blocks, at 5th St. and 3rd Ave was a (3)National Tea store. (4)Red Owl at one time was on Main Ave., between 3rd and 4th Streets, before moving to Main and 7th St. There was also a (5)Service Grocery store that delivered to homes. That store, too, sponsored a women's fast-pitch softball team. I only know that because my sister played for them. At one time, they were located in the 300 block of Main, a few doors from the Red Owl store. Close to the softball park where they played on 2nd St. South and Main was another store run by Vern McCord, I believe. I just remember it by the name of the (6) "Little Store" or "South Side Grocery." A comment below does mention a Serve-Well store on the south side. That was the actual name of the store. Across from the swimming pool was (7) Chris's Market. On the college campus, on Medary near 8th St. was (8) Austin's. Our family often would go there because milk was 3 (half-gallons) for one dollar. At Spies, it was 40 cents a half-gallon. When we were in 6th grade (1962-63), Ralph Myers had a store in the old Ford Implement dealership, just east of Beckman's. I had a paper-route at that time, and would often treat myself to their Dolly Madison Boston Creme Pies. They were a dime or maybe even 12 cents, but I thought they were better than Twinkies. Midway, at 6th St. and Medary, makes the ninth grocery store in Brookings in the 50’s. Things have really changed since then, but who would have thought we would pay for a bottle of water, or buy milk and bread at the gas station, instead of gas and oil?
When my mom did her grocery shopping in the 50’s, she would take me and/or my younger brother along. She would have prepared her list so she could get the best prices, and we would walk to the neighborhood stores. Spies, Council Oak, National Tea, and Red Owl were the ones we seemed to frequent most often. We would walk from one to the next (my folks had no car). If our arms grew weary from carrying the grocery bags, we would stop and place the sacks on a fender of a car to let our arms rest. When we were refreshed, we started back on the journey again. If we ran out of milk, she might send my little brother and me to Spies, only two blocks away. We had a metal holder for six one-quart glass milk bottles. That was pretty heavy for two scrawny little kids, so we carried a belt with us. We wrapped the belt around the holder. I held on to one side of the belt, and he held on to the other. We may have had to set it down and rest once in a while, but we never broke one bottle.
Many thanks to the poster below, who provided this link for the businesses listed in the city Brookings from 1879-2003: http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Avenues.pdf
Hey John! You have such a great memory! We were recently fussing about the price of bread. I was telling them about how we went home for lunch. My mom would give me a quarter and send me the half block to that National Tea store for a loaf of bread. What a change!
ReplyDeleteI have MUCH bigger memories of Midway since that's where I was sent for items. I was very found of it.
ReplyDeleteAlright ... so I have to ask. Was the National Tea store the one near your house Nancy, at the other end of the block it shared with Nick's Hamburgers? I remember it being painted green and they gave out green stamps. I also don't remember Council Oak, Serve Well or Austins.
You are right, Lynne. National Tea was on the other end of the block from Nick's. The Brookings Register occupies that building now. Right across the street was Oines Motors, the Ford and Mercury dealership. When we played teener baseball in 1965-66, Nancy's brother Bob was one of our coaches. He live a half-block away to the north, perhaps in a basement apartment. I seem to recall that they had a pink 1957 Buick, or was that the car that Nancy's parents owned? I think it would be interesting some time to look at the old Registers on microfilm at the library and see the ads for all of the various stores during those days.
ReplyDeleteI think I was in error about the Serve-Well store. The name was Service Grocery and not Serve-Well.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThere was a Service Grocery in the 300 block of Main Ave. and a Serve Well on the south side. This link lists every business in Brookings from 1879-2003 : http://www.sdstate.edu/sdsuarchives/collections/upload/Brookings-Businesses-Avenues.pdf
ReplyDelete