The Savemore Super Market was packed with customers at its grand opening in April of 1938. The new public market at Sixth & Proctor was owned and operated by local businessmen H. Howard Normo and Lee C. Clark. It was unique in that the entire front of 50 feet could be opened up which gave a clear and unobstructed view of the entire interior and store merchandise. Shoppers eager for bargains were able to purchase a dozen large eggs for 18 cents, tins of milk at a nickel, butter for 24 cents, cans of peas for 3/25 cents. Spring chickens on sale 3 for $1, bananas for 5 cents a pound, and a one-pound can of MJB coffee for 25 cents were other attractions. In addition, bouquets of narcissi for the ladies and "Crackle Jacks" for kids were given away. (TNT 4-15-38, p. 4, 5-article)

Savemore Super Market (Tacoma); Supermarkets--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1933. Covack Brothers Grocery, window display. Fresh vegetables stacked in store window, fresh citrus along wall. Bottles and jars on shelves, scale on counter. The store was owned and operated by brothers Frank and Joseph Covack. For West Coast Grocery Company. (WSHS)

Covack Brothers Grocery (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1927. Mrs. Ethel A. Adams posed in her new Whippet 4 coupe in front of the West Side Grocery Co., circa 1927. The new two passenger closed model of the Whippet Line was becoming very popular. Mrs. Adams had purchased hers from Manley Motor Co., Overland and Willys-Knight dealer. She had also recently purchased the West Side Grocery store at 608 No. Pine. (WSHS) (TDL 2/20/1927, pg. 4G)

West Side Grocery Co. (Tacoma); Automobiles--Tacoma--1920-1930; Adams, Ethel; Whippet automobiles;

Reed Fixtures had moved into a larger building in 1946. They took over a fifty by ninety foot government surplus warehouse located on Center Street. They specialized in business fixtures, display cases and other commercial fixtures. Interior view of grocery store with new Reed fixtures, which included: food shelves, fruit and vegetable bins, and fixtures for frozen foods. This image shows the bins and fixtures stocked.

Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fruit--Tacoma; Vegetables--Tacoma; Food--Tacoma; Merchandise displays--Tacoma; Reed's Cabinet & Fixture (Tacoma);

West Coast Grocery with headquarters in Tacoma, expand operations. Interior view of West Coast Grocery store in Chehalis, Washington. The cash register, scale and counters are in the foreground. Shelves stocked with food, produce section and frozen food section are in the background.

Grocery stores--Chehalis; Cash registers; Supermarkets; Merchandise displays--Chehalis; Food--Chehalis; West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

West Coast Grocery, with headquarters in Tacoma, expands their operations. Exterior view of West Coast Grocery store in Chehalis, Washington. Gasoline pumps, advertisements for weekly specials and watermelons in front of store.

Grocery stores--Chehalis; Gasoline pumps--Chehalis; Supermarkets; Watermelons--Chehalis; West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma);

Hogan's Lakewood Center Grocery, Nalley's display. A stack of Nalley's Hamburger Relish selling for 25 cents each stands near the cash register. Other products are displayed on shelves behind the register. Nalley's Inc. was started in 1918 by Marcus Nalley. Nalley Valley Center Street Development consists of 3 main plants housing 4 separate food processing operations: the potato chip plant, processing potato chips, popcorn and various nut products; a pickle plant, a federally inspected meat plant, and the Tacoma sales branch offices and Nalley's general branch sales office. (T.Times, 12/10/1947)

Grocery stores--Lakewood--1940-1950; Hogan's Fine Foods (Lakewood); Cash registers; Merchandise displays--Lakewood--1940-1950;

West Coast Grocery Company had just moved into their new headquarters in Tacoma. This building included, food storage warehouses, offices and subsidiary companies all on one site. The $400,000 building was 640 feet long, 240 feet wide and over 135,000 square feet of space, all on one floor. Aerial view of West Coast Grocery Company.

West Coast Grocery Co. (Tacoma); Aerial photographs; Progress photographs; Storehouses--Tacoma; Business enterprises--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Several interiors and exteriors of stores in Fircrest, Lakewood Log, Charlie Mann. The interior of the Fircrest Food Market. The small market carried a large selection of canned goods on shelving that was wider at the bottom which made it easier to see what was available there. Frozen foods were displayed in a case along the left side wall as well as dairy items in a cold case next to it. A meat counter was housed in the back of the store. Carts for use by customers are seen by the check out stand.

Fircrest Food Market (Fircrest); Grocery stores--Fircrest--1940-1950; Grocery carts; Meat; Food--Fircrest; Canned foods; Dairy products;

Big Bear Food Store, Bud Merrell, Grocery store interiors, old "Arney's Market", Colemans. Big Bear opened its first Tacoma location January 30, 1948. They had seven distinct departments under one roof. With five check stands they hoped to give the speediest service ever offered to Tacoma shoppers. The check out stands and cash registers are lined up near the front of the store. Shelves are filled with canned goods. The whole area is well lit. (TNT, 1/29/1948, p.3 and p.28)

Big Bear Stores (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Cash registers; Canned foods;

Big Bear Food Store, Bud Merrell, Grocery store interiors, old "Arney's Market", Colemans. Big Bear was opening their first store in Tacoma at the location of the first Stadium Market. Big Bear was well known in Seattle having had several locations there for 16 years. Their policy was, "to provide the foods you want at the lowest prices at which they can be sold". This view features the produce area with displays of fruits, vegetagles and fresh flowers. Dairy products are displayed in the cold cases in the back of the store. A clock hangs on the wall above the dairy cases. (TNT, 1/29/1948, p.3 and p.28)

Big Bear Stores (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Fruit; Vegetables--Tacoma; Dairy products; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950; Flowers--Tacoma--1940-1950;

No. Stevens, looking north at the intersection of No. 26th St. On the right is the Hilltop Market at 2517 No. Stevens. On the left is Pop's Service Station at 2601 No. Stevens. Safeway stores ordered these pictures. The City Council would be hearing their application to erect a store at 26th and Stevens on January 4, 1954. The application had been turned down by the City Planning Commission. The hearing was viewed by an overflowing crowd. The main argument against rezoning this area for the erection of a $525,000 Safeway store was the resulting increased traffic. Residents felt that increasing the already heavy flow of traffic would endanger neighborhood children. Safeway argued that traffic was already bad & their off street parking would make the situation better. The supermarket chain also felt that the Planning Commission was protecting the smaller businesses. (TNT 1/5/1954, pg.1) TPL-9908

Hilltop Market (Tacoma); Pop's Service Stations (Tacoma); Safeway Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery Stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;

No. 26th St., looking west to the intersection of No. Stevens St. A school bus is turning next to the Hilltop Market at 2517 No. Stevens. Safeway stores ordered these pictures. The City Council was hearing an application from Safeway to erect a $525,000 supermarket at 26th and Stevens. The City Planning Commission had already turned down the application citing the dangers of increased traffic and opposition of the area's residents. The hearing was jammed to overflowing with spectators. Both sides argued their point and the hearing was adjourned without a resolution. (TNT 12/8/1953)

Hilltop Market (Tacoma); Residential streets--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Interior of new Tradewell store. Self-service ice cream freezers were becoming more available to the Tacoma shopper in 1953; these three freezers are compactly located at the ends of the store's aisles. The wide shopping aisles also made it easier for shoppers to push their carts through. The shelves are full of seafood cans, jars of prepared baby food, and juices. Tradewell also had a self-service meat department where meats were already pre-packaged for the busy shopper. Photograph ordered by Tradewell, Inc., Seattle.

Tradewell Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Supermarkets; Freezers; Ice cream & ices;

Both cars and bicycles are parked outside the new Tradewell supermarket on South 56th and Pacific in February, 1953. As the signs posted on the wall indicated, Tradewell offered free parking for customers. The store was open seven days a week, with shorter hours on Sunday, and stayed open until 11 p.m. on Friday night. Specials changed frequently at Tradewell; a customer could purchase fresh red snapper at 29 cents a pound or giant size detergent Duz or Cheer at 65 cents. Photograph ordered by Washington Mutual Savings Bank.

Tradewell Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Supermarkets; Parking lots--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Safeway store fire at 82nd & Pacific. The Safeway store sustained $260,000 in fire damage during an early morning fire on 7/7/1953. The Pacific Ave. wall of the store caved in completely. One firefighter collapsed at the site, and went to the hospital where he was reported in "satisfactory" condition. The fire was initially attributed to a faulty public address system or a forgotten cigarette. In a strange turn of events, the fire equipment had been there twelve hours before responding to an incinerator blaze. (TNT 7/7/1953, pg. 1)

Safeway Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery Stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Safeway store fire at 82nd & Pacific. Fire broke out at approximately 4:45 a.m. on 7/7/1953 at the Safeway store. Station 10 was the first to respond. Before the fire was under control, Fire Chief Harold Fisk was personally directing the fire fighting force of 6 engine companies, the city rescue unit and 2 hook & ladder companies. The fire fight was aided by daylight conditions and the low number of sightseers at this early hour, but hampered by low water pressure in Fern Hill district fire hydrants. (TNT 7/7/1953, pg. 1)

Safeway Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery Stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Fires--Tacoma--1950-1960;

The interior of A-G Food Store No. 5 where Stan R. Engle was manager. A display of Nalley's potato chips is in the center of this view. A dairy case is on the left. Produce is displayed in the rear on the left and the other shelves are filled with bags and cans of other grocery items.

A-G Food Store No. 5 (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Exterior exposure of H.A. Briggs store, located at 38th & Center in the Oakland building, for Associated Grocers. Hosea A. Briggs was the president of H.A. Briggs Stores, Inc. He was married to Ruth and resided at 523 Alta Vista Place in Fircrest. H.A. Briggs was also a building contractor and a member of Tacoma Master Builders. The windows of the grocery market advertise fresh bread and dairy. Stands holding Mandeville and Northrup King seeds are outside.

H.A. Briggs Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Exterior exposure of H.A. Briggs store, located at 2802 6th Ave., for Associated Grocers. Hosea A. Briggs was the president of H.A. Briggs Stores, Inc. He was married to Ruth and resided at 523 Alta Vista Place in Fircrest. H.A. Briggs was also a building contractor and a member of Tacoma Master Builders. The windows of the store advertise summer produce- strawberries $.25 a box, cucumbers $.10 each, bananas 2 lbs for $.25, fresh bread and meats- ground $.49 lb., round $.79 lb, veal $.59-.63 lb. and pork loin $.55 lb. Outside the store are cases of Kerr canning jars, crates of watermelons and stands of seeds.

H.A. Briggs Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960;

Employees of the Thomas Bros. Foodliner store stand behind the meat counter prior to the grand opening of their University Place supermarket in September, 1951. Self-service meats were one of the many new conveniences at the Red & White Food Store; a customer could easily choose from a variety of pre-packaged meats without waiting for a butcher. Their full page ads on September 12th indicated that sliced bacon was available for 59 cents a pound and pork chops for 75 cents. Other new conveniences were refrigerated produce, high-speed conveyor checkstands and automatic doors. The Frank Thomas, Sr., family had opened their small grocery store 46 years ago at the corner of what was then Regents park and Western road. The Thomas brothers, Al, Frank and Joe, grew up helping to run the family store. The new store, built at nearly the same location of W. 27th and Grandview, has maintained its affiliation with the Red & White Food chain. Photograph ordered by Consolidated Service, Seattle. (TNT 9-12-51, A-6, A-10, A-11) TPL-8774

Thomas Bros. Foodliner (University Place); Grocery stores--University Place--1950-1960; Merchandise displays; Food--University Place--1950-1960;

On June 20, 1952, an unidentified woman, possibly owner Marjorie Beckstead, posed with a display of Nalley products at Beckstead's Grocery, 3807 Center St. She was holding a jar of Nalley's Tang salad dressing. The display included Nalley's spaghetti dinner, Lumberjack syrup, Treasure pickles, mustard, and Nalley's mayonnaise. Other groceries were stacked on shelves behind the woman. Beckstead's was owned by Clifford R. and Marjorie Beckstead.

Grocery Stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Beckstead's Grocery (Tacoma); Nalleys, Inc. (Tacoma)--Products; Food--Tacoma--1950-1960; Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1950-1960;

A view of the exterior of Midland Thriftway grocery store with parking available in front of the store. Midland was once the half-way point on the Puyallup to Tacoma street car line. The community centered on 99th and Portland Avenue. Ordered by Associated Grocers.

Grocery Stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Midland Thriftway (Tacoma); Thriftway Food Stores (Tacoma);

Grand Opening at the Broadway Food Store, 8410 South Tacoma Way, on August 10, 1939. Exterior view of new Art Deco style building, built in 1939. Orman Hoyt, Manager. (filed with Argentum)

Broadway Food Store (Lakewood); Grocery stores--Lakewood--1930-1940;

Washington Co-op Farmers Association "Co-op Eggs" streamlined delivery van parked in front of Safeway Store at Puyallup Avenue and Bay Street. Man unloading crates of eggs is believed to be the driver, Harry Stearns.

Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Trucks--Tacoma--1940-1950; Poultry industry--Washington--1940-1950; Washington Cooperative Farmers Association (Tacoma);

The new Broadway Food Stores opened at 84th and South Tacoma Way on Friday August 11, 1939. The modern Art Deco building was built 38 feet back from the highway so that ample parking could be provided. General Manager Ormond Hoyt (far right) stated, "Our price policy is to check our competitors' advertised prices and make them our own... We will not be under sold". Mr. Hoyt and several of his employees stand among displays of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Business Enterprises - Grocery Stores - Tacoma - Broadway Food Stores

This photograph of the corner of 6th Avenue and Pine was taken in November of 1941 shortly after the street was partially straightened, eliminating a sharp jog in the road at that corner. The businesses at the corner included: Casey's Tavern at 2810 6th Ave., now Cafe dei Pani; Aplling's Hardware, 2815 6th Ave. and Winfield's Bakery, 2813 6th Ave., now both incorporated into Ricardo's restaurant; and the recently built Safeway grocery store at 608 N. Pine (partially hidden by Appling's), now Schuck's Auto Supply.

Grocery Stores--Tacoma--1940-1950; Facades--Tacoma--1940-1950; Safeway Stores, Inc. (Tacoma);

Safeway Store, new building at Sixth and Pine. Front view of modest Art Deco style concrete store. The store opened October 10, 1941, the 7th Safeway store to be opened locally since May of 1941. The modern store had 6500 square feet of floor space, indirect lighting and lots of parking. (T. Times 10/09/1941, pg. 13; 10/16/41, pg. 13- ad)

Safeway Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950;

Interior of Safeway Store on South K Street.

Safeway Stores, Inc. (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1940-1950;

A display of Nalley's potato chips at the Big Bear Store. Potato chips were Marcus Nalley's first product, prepared in his own small kitchen, fried in cooking oil, and packed in paper bags. "This is only the beginning" was his favorite comment during the 1930's and it was certainly true. This rack includes two sizes, 25 cent and 39 cent, of the regional favorite potato chips. Krun-chees and pop corn were 10 cents a bag. Bags of Ruffles Potato Chips hang along the left hand side. Hanging in the middle of the display is a copy of an ad that ran in Sunset magazine. (South on the Sound, Murray and Rosa Morgan)

Big Bear Stores (Tacoma); Grocery stores--Tacoma--1950-1960; Nalley's, Inc. (Tacoma)--Products; Food--Tacoma--1950-1960; Food industry--Tacoma--1950-1960; Merchandise displays--Tacoma--1940-1950;