Marchetti’s Weona , originally uploaded by joespake.
Neighborhood groceries ruled with I was young. My family got most groceries from Marchetti’s, which occupied this building at Lauderdale and Dempster in South Memphis. We knew the proprietors and their extended family. Most of the family lived upstairs. Neighborhood stores were franchised under the Weona brand. [note: I couldn't readily find any info about the Weona brand. Maybe my friend Vance Lauderdale could fill us in with a link to one of his pieces]
What a great concept. Your business downstairs, your home above. Institutions like the neighborhood groceries were part of the cement that bound our neighborhoods together. Until the 1960s they provided the staples for families.
Today the neighborhood stores mostly sell chips, smokes and 40 ouncers. I didn’t go into this store, but there was not much activity for a Saturday midday.
About Joe Spake
Joe Spake is a Memphis-based Consultant, Real Estate Broker, and Social Media Networker. He blogs at Joe Spake’s Weblog and Memphis Real Estate Buzz and is a regular contributor at Social Web Learning.
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