Do Convenience Stores Fill a Void Caused by the Decline in the Mom & Pop Grocery Stores?

Do Convenience Stores Fill a Void Caused by the Decline in the Mom & Pop Grocery Stores?

When I was growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, there was a grocery store, Jacob’s Market located across the street and at the end of the block I lived on. The address of Jacob’s Market was 2789 Davenport. My maternal grandfather lived at 2525 Davenport which was about a block and one half from my residence at 2756 Davenport.  Half a block to the east of his house was Lippett’s Market, located on the corner of 25^th & Davenport. The aerial photograph below shows the location of both markets as well as a couple of others.

These stores were of great convenience to both my father and grandfather because neither owned an automobile. Actually my father did own one until Christmas of 1955 (I think) when he was rear-ended by uninsured motorist who had no financial means to pay for the damage to my father’s car.  My father was also strapped for cash and had to dispose of the car in spite of the fact the cost of repair was not that great. He didn’t buy another car until 1972. Being able to walk to a grocery store, was, indeed, a convenience.

The publication: Memories of the Jewish Midwest Mom & Pop Grocery Stores published by the Nebraska Jewish Historical Society points that many of the grocery store owners in Omaha were Jewish. Such was the case with both Jacob’s Market and Lippett’s Market. One could usually tell a Jewish person owned a store because their store would be closed on Saturday but open on Sunday. This was the case with Lippett’s, but Jacob’s was open on Saturday and closed on Sunday. I don’t know the reason for that.

Jacob’s market had just about anything edible you could desire. It also had things like laundry detergent and other household cleaning products. Jake, as we called him, operated the meat counter and his wife ran the cash register. There may have been someone else on the cash register from time to time. I know they had a son, who opened up a novelty shop in the lower level of the building at a later time in history of the store. Behind the checkout counter were bins of candy and gum so you could buy a piece of candy or gum for a penny. This attribute was important to kids.

Important to my parents was the fact the owners would carry you on credit. When your bill went over $100, however they would call you up and insist on you paying enough to take the bill down below that limit.

Being a neighborhood store, the owners knew many if not most of their customers, including the children. My older sister and I once tried to charge some snacks to our parent’s bill. The charge was accepted, but the cashier (Mom of the store) called my mother to see if my mother had authorized the purchase. My sister and I caught hell for that.

One thing about Jake’s that will probably give the anti-smoking Nazi’s reading this heartburn is that they would sell me cigarettes. My father would send me down there every once in a while for a pack. I remember him giving me a quarter to get a pack that sold for 24 cents at the time and insisting on me giving back the penny in change. If the owners of Jake’s had suspected I was buying cigarettes for myself, they would have notified my parents. I tried smoking one of my parent’s cigarettes once and got holy hell for that. I didn’t pick up the habit until I was a sophomore in high school.

The merchandise Lippett sold was pretty much the same with one notable exception. He sold distilled spirits or hard liquor. The liquor was on a shelf behind the checkout counter so a customer would have to ask for it. I’m sure Mr. Lippett ensured none was sold to minors. I remember him once refusing to give liquor to an underage bellboy whom the Commodore Hotel had sent over to pick up.

My trips to Lippett’s were usually with my grandfather after Mass on Sunday; but I sometimes went there on my own when I had money. My grandfather usually did his weekly shopping on Sunday.

The two other stores close by were Peter Pan Market and Handy Dandy. I don’t like to have to say it, but Handy Dandy was something of a dump as I remember it. I think it must have been in decline from a previous glory. I don’t remember that there were any fresh meat, fruit or vegetables available. A lot of the shelves were empty and, if the product wasn’t canned or packaged it wasn’t available.

Peter Pan Market, on the other hand, had everything Jake’s or Lippett’s had (including hard liquor). I think it was also a little larger store. Sometimes I went there to get things for my grandfather. I think Peter Pan’s prices on certain things were lower than those at Lippett’s.

Johnny’s Grocery was also located only a few blocks from my Grandfather’s house. It was also open on Sunday, but I think it was also open on Saturday. Since Johnny’s was close to St. John’s Church, I use to drop in there from time to time. Like Jacob’s, one could buy penny candy.

You will also notice in the photograph above I’ve identified the building housing Ringle’s drugstore. This was a rather odd place run by a Dorothy Ringle when I was a kid. At one time it had been a real drugstore, owned by Louis J. Ringle. The two articles below show the Ringles had been victims of robberies.

I think Mr. Ringle, who graduated from Creighton University’s College of Pharmacy, was deceased when I frequented the (former) drugstore. Dorothy obviously didn’t run it as such. The store had a marble counter where once there might have been a soda fountain. Drug stores of that era typically had a soda fountain where one could get treats like malted milk shakes. The soda fountain was no longer in use. In front of the counter was chest cooler that contained beer and soda pop. She also had a magazine rack where one could buy a copy of the Daily Racing Form for instance. There was also a display case that contained toys and other items. I think I bought a couple of model airplane kits from her. Approximately half of the store appeared to be used for storage. I never knew what was back there.

Dorothy ran the store by herself. She kept rather odd hours. I think she only opened the place when she felt like it. I don’t think the store was ever opened before noon. She would be open in the evenings at least sometimes. My grandfather often got beer and pop from her. He once referred to her as one of his “girlfriends”. He didn’t mean he had a romantic relationship with her, for he was always faithful to my grandmother. It was just that my grandfather was a “people” person. He enjoyed to socialize.

From January 11, 1916 issue of Omaha Bee

 From December 1915 issue of Omaha Druggist

I don’t think Dorothy was dependent on income from the store. The store was located in a building that had apartments also and I think she may have owned the whole building. She was rather whimsical about having the store open, there were times for instance when I might go down there expecting the store to be open because I had been down there the same time on a previous day and I would find it closed.

The neighborhood where I spent my first 14 years was pretty well wiped out with the construction of I-480. Jacob’s market definitely was. Lippett closed his grocery and opened a liquor store near the Crossroads shopping center. I don’t know what became of Johnny’s, Dorothy Ringle, Handy Dandy, or Peter Pan. My parents helped buy up the last of Jake’s stock before he closed.

Since there wasn’t much of that neighborhood to compare with current conditions, I describe the second neighborhood where I lived.

When we were forced to move, my dad found a house on the corner of 38^th Street and Lincoln Blvd. Our house was located in the Bemis Park Subdivision, but the Walnut Hill Reservoir was across the street and a block to the North. Along 40^th street were several places where we were customers. In the aerial photograph below I show the location of those businesses.

The first and the place most frequented was Breen’s Grocery. It was located on the Southwest corner of 40^th and Cuming. It was a mom & pop grocery. I know Mr. Breen had a son who attended Cathedral High School where I spent my high school years. Breen’s was a well-stocked store. I don’t remember if he sold alcoholic beverages. I don’t think so. He did do deliveries though. However, I usually accompanied mother to the store. It was about two blocks from our house and we would walk up there and carry the groceries back. The picture below shows the building as it exists today. It is now Nepali Bazaar DRUK LCA Restaurant and Groceries, an Asian market. I don’t know for sure when it ceased to be Breen’s, but I believe the store was closed when I returned from Vietnam in December 1970. The closure had a real impact on my parents. As they still didn’t have a car at that time, my dad was forced to shop at Louie’s Market in Benson because it was on the bus line. Louie’s was located at 5718 NW Radial Hwy. My dad could catch the bus at 38^th & Cuming and ride it to Louie’s and back. Louis Market operated as a grocery store from 1957 to 2012. It got its name from Louis Paperny a Russian immigrant first opened the store. When he died in 1974 the business was run by the families of his four daughters until 1987 when they sold the business.

Nepali Bazaar DRUK LCA Restaurant and Groceries

Louis, closed in 2012, and has been replaced by a Bucky’s Convenience store. Both buildings are shown in the photos below.

Louis Market 5722 Radial Highway

Bucky’s at Location of Former Louis Market

The second establishment I frequently visited was Willy’s drugstore, located at 40^th & Cuming on the Southeast corner. It was a popular hangout for Cathedral High students. One reason for this was it had a soda fountain where you could still get a Coke for a nickel in 1964. My mother also got beer there. I would usually go with her at night so she wouldn’t have to be alone. I think Willy had delivery service for prescriptions. This was a common practice among drugstores at that time. I know he had a daughter, Roseanne who went to Cathedral High, but I don’t know if he had other children.

I think Willy’s store was destroyed in 1969 or 1970 after a burglary and fire. The police suspected it was done by culprits looking for drugs. After that Mr. Willy went to work at the West Dodge Pharmacy located at 40^th & Dodge Street.

There is now a convenience store located on the Northwest corner of 40^th & Cuming also. It is shown in the photograph below.

Convenience Store at 40^th & Cuming

On the Southwest corner of 40^th & California Street. It was B & B grocery. The photograph below shows the building. The exterior of the building has only changed slightly in appearance. I don’t remember going to this store as a kid as Breen’s was much closer. I was in it a few times as an adult before I left Omaha in 1976. At that time I believe it was under new ownership and titled Mike’s Grocery. It is no longer a grocery store.

Below the photograph of the former B & B Grocery building is a photograph of the building which once housed Graham Pharmacy. I don’t remember much about this store either. It was located on the Southwest corner of 40^th & Hamilton Street.

Across the street on the Northwest corner of 40^th & Hamilton was Martin’s Pastry. I remember dropping in there from time to time to get a donut. As I recall, they had a broad selection of fine pastries. A picture of the building is shown below that of Graham’s Pharmacy. The building was originally a theater as evidenced by the following advertisement.

 Building Housing Former B & B Grocery 40^th & California

 Site of Former Graham Pharmacy 40^th & Hamilton

Site of Former Martin’s Pastry 40^th & Hamilton

The building is now occupied by Hargiss Stringed Instruments. Apparently the company sells and repairs stringed instruments such as guitars.

 Convenience Store at 39^th & Hamilton

The picture above shows a convenience store at 39^th & Hamilton. In 1964 a gasoline service station was located at the site. I don’t remember the oil company with which it was associated. It was the type of station where an attendant would fill you up, wash your windshield, and check your tire pressure if you asked the attendant to do those things. I remember I used to fill my bicycle tires there as there was no charge for using the compressed air. I think the station also had a repair bay. This was a time when gas stations often had a mechanic who could service your car.

The first photograph below shows a convenience store in West Liberty, Iowa. My wife, son, and two daughters moved into a house behind this site in 1998. It was a convenience store at that time, but the building was different and run by a different party than the one who runs it now.

I didn’t like the idea of living behind a convenience store, but the house was all we could afford that would accommodate the five of us. At that time, a row of evergreen trees separated our property from the gas station/store, so having the store for a neighbor wasn’t that bad. It was noisy at times, but the store closed around 10:00 p.m. so it wasn’t the cause of lost sleep. There was a problem with litter that found its way into our yard from the site.

In 2006 Giri Deepak, purchased the property. I believe the family name of Asian people comes first so Americanized it would be Deepak Giri. In any case the store and gas station became Giri BP. The BP refers to British Petroleum, the company supplying gasoline and diesel fuel.

Giri and his wife ran the station/store, employing some locals to assist in operating it. I found out Giri had attended the University of Nebraska so we often talked about the University of Nebraska Corn Husker football team.

Around the year 2012 he decided to expand the facilities. The first step was to clear the evergreen hedge behind the station. Needless to say I was displeased with that action. This was followed by the demolition of the old building and fuel pumps and construction of a new, larger facility. My wife and I moved from Iowa to Arlington, Texas in 2013. As far as I know Giri is still running a thriving business there. The picture above shows the new convenience store.

The next photograph below shows a convenience store located about three blocks from our current residence in Arlington, Texas. It is also run by a man and wife of Asian descent. I don’t think they actually own the property. I get gasoline at their pumps and drop into the store from time to time. It has almost everything imaginable with the exception of perishable items like fresh meat, fruit and vegetables you’d find in a grocery store. I once commented to the “Ma” of this operation about the variety of items in the store. She responded by telling me since the store was located to a large apartment complex across the street she sought to supply their needs. The photograph below that of the store shows the apartment complex. I often see people going to the store from the complex on foot – a reminder of the days when that was the only way I traveled to shop.

Quick Track at 5101 Little School Rd. Arlington, Texas

Apartment Complex across from Quick Track

The following statements are extracted from HOW CONVENIENCE STORES WORK AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO COMMUNITIES, a publication of the National Association of Convenience Stores, NACS:

“The 152,794 convenience stores in the United States personify small businesses, both in terms of size of the store and the company. More than 6 out of 10 convenience stores (96,318 stores, or 63.0% of all stores) are owned and operated by an individual with one store.”

“Convenience stores clearly are attractive business opportunities for Americans of all ethnicities. Because of their small size and overall retail footprint, the cost of owning or renting the space is much less than other larger retail formats. In many cases, an entire family is involved in operations and can help reduce the cost of outside labor, which can make an otherwise marginally unprofitable store profitable.”

I conclude that not only do convenience stores fill the void caused by the decline in the “Mom & Pop” grocery stores, but many are “Mom & Pop” operations.