(Source of image: Florida State Archives)
Parking problems in
downtown Jax over 50 years ago? It seems that way, at least in this
lot. The sign warns, "PARK HERE ONLY WHILE SHOPPING AT LOVETT'S
AND PHELPS." The photo dates
from 1951, showing a supermarket that later became a Winn Dixie.
The structure was constructed in 1945 and completely remodeled in 1989. It now
houses
the headquarters for the Duval County Supervisor of Elections.
Phelps was a neighboring business that dealt in cloth and fabric.
Please see below for more supermarket info.
CLICK
HERE for Setzer's in San Marco & Springfield
CLICK HERE
for another Setzer's
CLICK
HERE for
shoppers & carts
CLICK HERE
for a
checkout line
CLICK HERE for
some Setzer's sluggers
CLICK HERE for a
Daylight during the daytime
CLICK HERE to visit
Lovett's on the Westside
CLICK
HERE for the quiet grocery king
CLICK HERE
for some nifty grocery samples
CLICK HERE for
cheerleading in a window
CLICK
HERE
for a dollop of margarine
CLICK
HERE for four Dutch dairy maids
CLICK HERE to
browse a meat department
CLICK HERE
for
another meat counter
CLICK HERE for
fruits & vegetables
CLICK HERE to graze more produce
CLICK
HERE for a Jax giant
LITTLE PIGGY TO MARKET --
Bigger is better in the retail industry, according to some people. Nowadays, one WalMart Supercenter
can strongly impact the economy of a small town, forcing many of its
downtown businesses into the red. These behemoths are combinations of supermarkets, department stores,
and various services. Not that
long ago, though, just supermarkets themselves were considered pretty modern.
And the first stores of this kind were munchkins when compared to today's.
Piggly Wiggly proved a pioneer, representing the first self-service
supermarket. Clarence Saunders founded the chain in Memphis, Tennessee, in
1916. His
brainchild revolutionized the grocery
industry. Heretofore, a customer had requested items from a clerk or
grocer.
(You might think of "Sam Drucker" from "Green Acres," "Ike Godsey"
from "The Waltons," or "Nels Oleson" from "Little House on the Prairie.")
Using the buyer's shopping list, the clerk or grocer would dip
into his barrels, bins, baskets, and boxes for such products as coffee, sugar,
soda crackers, pickled fish, dried prunes, and canned vegetables. He then
placed many of the items in small, brown paper bags, weighed them on a scale,
and securely tied each bag with white string that trailed from an iron
stringholder.
Variety was
not
the name of the grocery game, for stores often carried just one
brand of each good. In addition, many grocers supplied only food that
didn't require refrigeration. Therefore, shoppers had to also rely
on bakeries, produce stands, butcher shops, and milk delivery services.
Piggly Wiggly changed all of this. Wielding shopping
baskets, customers served themselves from
open shelves. These
markets also became "supermarkets" by adding
meat, dairy, produce, and breads to their offerings.
The name "Piggly Wiggly" stands out
-- And that is why
Mr. Saunders chose it.
He wanted people to talk about and remember the moniker. As to its actual
inspiration, Mr. Saunders proved reticent. According to one old story, he
spotted from a train window several little swine struggling to squeeze under a fence.
RIVER CITY PIGLETS -- Jacksonville's first Piggly Wiggly
popped up in 1925. Five years later, in February 1931, the
city's largest Piggly Wiggly opened its doors downtown. It
stood at 17 East Bay Street, across from the Dyal-Upchurch Building, near the
north end of today's
Main Street Bridge. (The old site is currently a parking garage just south
of the Main Public Library.)
Opening day features for the Piggly
Wiggly included music,
food demonstrations, and souvenir samples.
According to the Jacksonville
Journal, the supermarket was roomy and bright, with shelves packed with an assortment of edibles and arranged for the customer's
convenience. Almost an entire side of the store was occupied by a meat
department, which sported large, "mechanically refrigerated" display cases made of
"sanitary white" porcelain. The local An-Jo Bakery ran the establishment's
baked goods section.
During the mid 1900s,
the head of the entire Piggly Wiggly chain lived in the River City.
Grocery magnate William R. Lovett served as its president and chairman of the
board prior to his death in 1978. The pioneer corporation consisted of
hundreds of stores.
Whatever has happened to Piggly Wiggly? Many of its outlets have been absorbed by other
grocery chains, so it is mostly confined now to smaller towns in the
Southeast and Midwest. But the Piggly Wiggly marketing idea caught on
quickly. By 1955, supermarkets in general were responsible for 60% of American
grocery sales. Little mom-&-pop food stores, long familiar to shoppers,
were fading from the scene.
SUPERMARKETS