Historic North End Neighborhood Groceries

Historic North End Neighborhood Groceries. Just Around the Corner. Small, independent corner grocery stores once dotted Boise neighborhoods and were common fixtures in the North End. The stores connected residents on a daily basis, since most store owners and their customers lived near each other. Stores typically relied upon walk-in traffic or phone-in orders from a few dozen families. Some stores carried dry and canned goods, while others offered dry goods along with a meat market. , A few of the stores survived for decades, but many lasted only a year or two. Grocers often faced challenges in running a small store: long hours, limited inventory, and little profit. Larger stores, the forerunners of supermarkets, gradually became more popular. The local “Mom and Pop” stores struggled to compete and slowly disappeared. , Today, North End neighborhood groceries are little more than a memory, although many original structures remain. Some buildings were specifically designed for busines purposes. Others were constructed as homes or as small outbuildings. , This map uses a number system to identify locations of former neighborhood stores that correspond to bronze medallions in the sidewalk. Not all former grocery stores are represented, but as you walk neighborhood streets, consider the many stores that were once “just round the corner” and how grocery shopping has changed over time., Look For Bronze Medallions to Mark Past and Present Neighborhood Groceries, 1) 2722 Sunset Ave , (Sunset Grocery and Market) 1938-1967 , Originally located in a house at 2522 Sunset Street, the Sunset Market was first owned and operated by Charles Requist. It later moved to a new building at 2722 Sunset Street. The new store, built at an angle on this corner lot, faced both Sunset and 28th streets. Owners Hyrum O. Davis and Harold P. Hawkins operated the store until 1967. , 2) 1500 N. 28th St. , (Lowell Market) 1923-1980 , In 1923 Clarence F. Morgan built a store here with attached living quarters for Morgan, his wife Ella, and their two children Jack and Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Morgan stocked bread, milk, and canned goods. The store’s location near Lowell School stimulated a new market for school supplies. The Morgans ran the grocery until the early 1940s when ownership transferred to Henry F. Marker, a trained meat cutter. Under Marker’s management, the store became known as Lowell Meat Market. Fresh meat, dry goods, and other groceries were sold from the store until 1980., 3) 1719 N. 25th St. , (Neighborhood Market) 1939-1948 , This building was originally constructed in 1936 as a residential dwelling. A few years later, Ruth S. Blair opened a grocery store out of the home. She was one of several neighborhood women who owned and operated such stores. The arrangement provided an income and allowed flexibility for women to work at home in an era that predated telecommuting. , 4) 2423 N. 25th St. , (Nulton’s Market) 1934-1966 , Hilda Nulton owned and operated Nulton’s Market, initially named Your Neighbor’s Store. She sold bread, dairy items, and penny candy, a favorite with the neighborhood kids. Mrs. Nulton purchased two lots in the spring of 1934 and built a small structure with a store in one section and living quearters in the other. She ran the store successfully until 1966., 5) 1517 N 22nd St. , (Cottage Grocery) 1938-1964 , James R. Woodruff designed this building as a combination home and store that opened in 1938. He advertised the store as a “modern food store” and sold Del Monte brand canned fruits and vegetables. His store also featured a meat market that specialized in fresh and cured meat. Pete Anchustegui, who owned and operated stores in several different North End locations, later operated a store here call Anchustegui’s Cottage Grocery., 6) 1619 N 20th St. , (Neighborhood Market) 1935-1950 , Sidney R. Waymire constructed a combination home and store here in 1935. He transferred operations of his Waymire Cash Grocery from Hyde Park to this location. The store was later run by McDory Hathaway and Pete Anchustegui under the names Hathaway’s Cottage Grocery and Anchustegui Cottage Grocery., 7) 1301 N 20th St. , (Neighborhood Market) 1918-1974 , This building, originally constructed as a single family dwelling, was the site of a grocery store for over 50 years. It was first owned by the Nelson Brothers and then sold to Clark E. Casaday who provided grocery delivery and meat service from 1926 until 1943. George Hunt acquired the store in 1944 and ran Hunt’s Grocery and Meats until 1974., 8) 901 N 20th St. , (Neighborhood Market) 1925-1955 , The orginal proprietor of the home grocery at this location was Mr.s Helen Dunnigan. She advertised Dunnigan’s Grocery as the “handy store” and sold homemade cottage cheese on Fridays. Ownership of the store transferred to the mother-daughter team, Mary and Lillian “Babe” Brown., 9) 1821 W. Washington , (Bungalow Store) 1921-1955 , H.J. Kopka moved to Boise from Pueblo, Colorado in 1920 and purchased this lot for a store at the intersection of Washington and 19th streets. The store was called the Bungalow Store after the popular architectural style exhibited on this building and includes classic elements of the style: exposed rafter tails under the eaves, battered brick piers on the porch, and a low profile gable roof. The store’s success prompted Kopka to open a second Bungalow Store at 4th and Bannock in 1929. Eventually Bungalow Store #1 changed hands and names, it was operated by Henry Nelson and called Nelson Grocery., 10) 1819 N. 18th St , (Crescent Grocery) 1939-1962 , This was the location of Crescent Grocery owned by Ernest A Jaeger. The building was originally constructed as a single family dwelling and remodeled in 1939 to accommodate a store addition. Larry and Barbara Kingsbury purchased the property in the late 1950s and managed the store until they sold it in 1962. In 1963, the store closed. Kiddy Care Corner next occupied the building. , 11) 1710 Heron , (Neighborhood Market) 1924-1968 , This store was one of the first businesses to sell both groceries and gasoline after owner O.E. Sloan installed a gas tank on the site. The store operated under several names including Spencer’s Market, Sloan’s Market, Rex Grocery, and the Heron Street Market., 12) 1650 W. State , (Albertsons) 1939-present , This is the site of the first Albertson’s Food Center. The store introduced a new expanded shopping model, featuring convenient parking, local products, and five department (produce, grocery, bakery, meat, and ice cream), a harbinger of things to come. NO MARKER, This Sign is 1 of 4 , Look For All 29 Past and Present Neighborhood Groceries