Before Piper's, it was Stanley's

This is another of the photos added to the historical society collection recently, courtesy of Miriam Hibbs. It's related to the shot posted yesterday, "A look at Piper's --- in 1911," because it shows the interior of the historic grocery store prior to 1908, while Fred C. Stanley presided there.

Here's the chronology: Fred C. Stanley purchased the Stanley Grocery business from his brother, Frank, during 1892, when it was located in the two-story frame Dungan building at the intersection of North Grand and Braden; in 1894, Lizzie Eikenberry built the current brick Piper's building on the site of the old Dungan building with a store room for Fred on the first floor and suites of offices for attorneys upstairs; in 1908, Fred sold the business to Joe L. Piper and moved to Minneapolis.

The men in the photograph are not identified, although one of them surely must be Mr. Stanley. Identifications would help date the photo more precisely.

Initially, I thought the photograph must have been taken in the old building, but that's just not the case. I was confused because Piper's currently has an elaborate pressed metal ceiling and the north end of the store room looks nothing like this today.

This photograph is taken, looking from front to back of the store. The heating stove is vented into a chimney just north of the store's east door and just beyond, back of what now is the meat case, is a freight elevator used to transport stock to and from the basement. You can see the big wheels of the coffee grinder in front of the stove and freight elevator. The lanterns appear to be kerosene.

The back wall is broken by tall windows on either side of a doubled entrance door, so the shot most likely was taken before new owners of the building, the I.O.O.F. lodge, made the first of several additions to the north end of the building.

We know that before the 1906 addition was made, a small frame building was located just outside the back door where produce --- eggs, cream, butter, fresh fruits and vegetables in season etc. --- was purchased from farmers for sale in the store.

I'm guessing that the photo was taken very soon after Fred had moved his stock into the new store room during the latter half of 1894. The pinkish tinge was a trademark of Rose Studio, then located above the Mallory Block just down Braden Avenue to the west. Most likely the shot was removed from a heavy card with the Rose insignia before Miriam's mother pasted it into her scrapbook.  A mishap during the removal process would explain the fact the image has been torn in half, then pasted neatly back together.

Whatever the case, it's a fascinating survival. No grocery carts on wheels back in those days. You walked into a store where attendants were posted behind the counters and you asked for what you wanted. Self-service would not come along for many years. And the helpful smiles were behind the counters, not in the aisles.