Doctors, Dentists, Dry Cleaning and Hair. Again, from cancelled checks, it is known that they went to B. E. Brown, a dentist; Dr. Wilkenson, the local doctor in Laurel. Dr. B. L. Trey in Marshalltown. He delivered, Doris my sister in 1935 and his fee was $180 for the delivery. The Evangelical Deaconess Hospital where she was delivered, charged $79.25. What a bargain. Dr. Trey delivered Dennis and Deborah.
Starting in the late 1930's the services of Richie Dry Cleaners was used by my folks in Marshalltown. My dad also was getting his hair cut by Ernie Lawrence in Laurel and I was too until my mother didn't like the way he cut my hair and they then took me to barbers in the Masonic Temple in Marshalltown. Mom went to a place called Skinner' Beauty Shop also in Marshalltown. What a name!! **A personal footnote to Skinner's and going there as a child. It still goes down as one of the worst smell experiences of my lifetime. What did they use on women's hair that smelled so bad?
Grocery Stores. (Laurel and Marshalltown) During the 1930's, Laurel had at least three grocery stores. Jake's, Billie's and Wessel's. Wessel's was more of a general store where dry goods and shoes, etc were sold in addition to groceries. A lot of what was sold there was behind the counter and someone would get it for you. I do remember going to Wessel's as a little kid and getting a long piece of black licorice out of a big glass candy jar. My folk's didn't shop there often as they generally shopped at Jake's in the early years of their marriage.
Piggley Wiggley was the first big grocery store or chain they shopped in Marshalltown.
In later years it became Fareway.
Several observations about food purchasing at this time 1930's-1950's. Most vegetables were raised in a garden on the farm, cattle was also raised and then taken to a meat processor and locker and then the various cuts of beef were packaged and put in rented freezer compartments to pick up as needed. Most small towns, including Laurel, had lockers.
In later years, we purchased a freezer that was kept on the back porch and packaged meat from lockers could be pulled out for a meal. As my family in later years did not raise hogs, I don't remember eating much pork. My sister, Doris, does however.
After church on Sunday, we would stop at a house just east of the Methodist Church in Laurel to buy milk. The lady that lived there was a Mrs. Irons and she was what you would call a distributor of milk and related products. Unlike today, most all stores, including grocery stores were closed on Sundays. But, at least we could buy milk.
Another exception was McMahon's service station which was open on Sunday's and my dad would stop there after church and get gas, but, the main purpose was to get the best ice-cream cone around. What a treat!
One small neighborhood grocery store in Marshalltown was called Meyer's North Street Market close to where my Aunt Vivian and family lived. Up until the 1960's and 70's most towns had small neighborhood grocery stores. They died off when they could no longer compete with the larger grocery chains. As a kid I remember going there to the North Street Market with my cousins to buy luncheon meat, bread, milk, etc. It did survive until the 1990's. What evolved from these small mom & pop stores were today's chain convenience stores.
--------To be continued at a later time.
No comments:
Post a Comment