MYSTERY IMAGE:

                          RED STAR MARKET BAR

(Source of image: Online Florida Photographic Collection)

In November 2002, JacksonvilleStory.com showed a mystery photo of a local saloon during the 1800s.  This time, the mystery image depicts another waterhole, the "Red Star Market" bar in Jacksonville.  The picture dates from the 1930s, during the Great Depression, and Jack Spotswood, an area photographer, took the photo.  But exactly where was this establishment located?  And who was the cute brunette girl tending the counter?

Nothing concrete turned up from a check of Jacksonville city directories that dated from 1922 to 1950.  A business called the "Red Tavern" did operate in 1936, with Mrs. Ruby Willis as its proprietor.  The bar was located at 2001-03 East 21st Street.  Another possibility might have been the Red Star Beef Company, owned by Tony Cotsonis during the late 1920s.  Situated downtown at 102 East Bay Street, it dealt in large sales of food products.  Perhaps the company also operated a bar.  (One thing to keep in mind is that the directories tended to cover only the area within the city limits, which were considerably smaller prior to consolidation in 1968.  The Red Star Market bar may have been located outside the city limits.)

In the photo above, one sign advertises an old local favorite, Jax Beer.  Turning our attention to food, a cold plate cost 15 cents, while sandwiches ranged in price from 5 to 15 cents, or about 65 cents to $2.00 in today's currency.  This might seem like a bargain, but remember that relatively few people had much spending money during the Depression.

Who is the other mystery person in the photo?  Take a look at the opening in the wall behind the counter to the right: Barely seen are two employees, one in a hat.   Perhaps they may've been short order cooks.

MYSTERY SOLVED!!! ~ How nice when, out of the blue, an email helps clear up the mystery surrounding these interesting images.  In May 2004, a JacksonvilleStory.com visitor, Van L. Cotsonis, contacted the website regarding the above photo.  A graduate of Andrew Jackson High in 1944, Mr. Cotsonis believes that the picture was snapped in about 1930 at a business with which his family was involved.  According to Mr. Cotsonis, it operated downtown at the southeast corner of Bay and Ocean streets, near the Florida Theater.  The spot was situated near docks that lay at the north end of today's Main Street Bridge.  (A parking lot is now located on the site.)

Regard the people in the photo, Mr. Cotsonis furnished the following info:

"I really can't be real sure, for I was only 4 when this pix was taken.  However, here are my thoughts:

1 -- The guy with the hat, I believe, was my dad, Tony Cotsonis, and the guy facing the camera later became the owner.  I worked for him when I was 15 or 16 -- Of this I can really remember for sure.  I delivered groceries (mostly meat) by bicycle. I learned how to cut meat and clean the butcher block that was later installed when the bar taken out.  I can't be sure of the name of the new owner, though the name "Greene" sticks in my mind.

2 -- I had a brother, Denus A., and a sister, Marie L.  Both have passed away.  My dad was buried by the Greek Church in 1951.  For many years he worked at the old Farmers Market near the viaduct on US 90 for a person by the name of N. J. Travassos.

3 -- I don't know who the young lady is in the photo.

4 -- I wish that I could be real certain of the above information, but I am sure of the two men:  They could only be my dad and the other the man I worked for when my dad lost the business."

A special thanks goes to Mr. Cotsonis for kindly sharing this info with us!