These days we don’t think twice about going to the supermarket and picking up all of our groceries in one place. But back in the 1800’s, before there were supermarkets, grocery shopping required making stops at a variety of small, specialized markets. For instance, you might have visited:
Cyrus Fellows for fish and oysters: Fellows was born in New Hampshire in 1808. As a young man he walked the 50 miles to Gloucester, Massachusetts, for work. He became a stage driver and wound up in the fish business. It is thought he established one of the first fish markets in Cambridge. He died at age 93 in 1902.
Or stopped by William E. Fyfe’s shop for baked goods. The census of 1860 lists him as a “cracker peddler.”
Calvin Gove was well known for his meats, as was Andrew A. Ward. In 1860 Ward announced home delivery service, running “a wagon to the houses of individuals carrying meats of all kinds … In 1877 the two became partners and purchased a stall at Faneuil Hall Market.
Poultry: Fred Richardson on River Street was well stocked with a variety of edible birds:
Dairy: No need to worry that Munroe & Evans would run out of butter before you could get there. “Firkin” refers to the wooden tub in which the producers shipped their butter.
The word “grocer” comes to us via the medieval Latin “grossarius” and French “grossier,” finally landing in English as “grocer.” When the “Company of Grocers of London” was created in 1376 the term became more widespread. Eventually a grocer meant anyone who sold basic foodstuffs such as flour, sugar, coffee, tea, etc. (https://grocershall.co.uk/the-company/history)
Of the 84 names listed under “Grocer” or “Provisioner” in the 1866 Cambridge City Directory, 18 were on Main street or on a street corner “near” main Street. The Directory also listed 11 bakeries.
Apart from their particular specialization, some of these many stores also did sell other food stuffs. Over time, meat markets increasingly combined with greengrocers, fruit markets, bakeries, fish markets, etc., leading to the ultimate development of the “supermarket.”
Two of the most influential grocer/provisioners in 19th century Cambridge whose markets led the way were Fred J. Row and Arthur H. Smith.
Frederick “Fred” J. Row (1853-1910)
Row was born in Plymouth, England, in 1853. In 1871, at age 18 he emigrated to Boston.
December 1, 1894
Before appearing in the Cambridge City Directory in 1877 as a “provisioner” at 80 Pleasant Street, he had briefly been a bookkeeper. His obituary states that he “originated” the Pleasant Street Market in 1875–which means he was only 22 or 23 years old at the time.
Row lived across the street from the store. He ran it until 1885, when he sold it to a former employee (Arthur H. Smith, see the forthcoming Part 2 of this post) and moved to larger space on Main Street.
Row’s particular innovation in the grocery business was his savvy advertising. If there ever was a self-promoter, he was it. He even once referred to himself as a “hustler.” The Cambridge Chronicle noted: “Mr. Row is credited with having an abundance of ‘snap’ and his modern and liberal policy has effected a revolution in the local trade.” (April 19, 1884).
Customer service was key. The advertisement reads:
“We shall have a bulletin board in front of our store giving the market prices every day, as sometimes prices change, and our customers may rely on getting the benefit of the market. All orders entrusted to our care will receive prompt attention, and will be charged at the market price on the day the goods are bought.”
His advertisements were witty, at times poetic, and at times screaming from the pages. A couple of his first ditties appeared in 1879:
Row’s advertisements were conversational. They had the effect of acknowledging the customer and speaking directly to them in a way that other advertisers did not. The paper may have printed his name incorrectly in the advert below, but what other market operator would dream up the idea of announcing that “The Country is Safe!” because of himself?
Business boomed at #80 Pleasant Street. In 1885, Row sold the market to Alfred H. Smith, who had worked for him as a boy. (More on Arthur H. Smith in the next post)
Fred established his new market at #423 (subsequently #818) Main Street, and named it the “Middlesex Market.”
After about three years, Row decided it was not only the Middlesex Market, but the “FAMOUS Middlesex Market” as in the ad below from 1888. It also features Arthur Ward, whom Row had brought on board in 1878, and made vice president of the company in 1888. In 1892, Row opened a second store at 11 Prospect Street, and put Ward in charge of managing it.
Ward, along with Row (and Smith), was featured in an article in the Cambridge Chronicle on “Men of Cambridge Markets,” (April 9, 1893):
They remained in business together until 1894 when Arthur departed to start his own business, “Ward’s Market, later Ward’s Central Sq. Market” at the corner of Pearl and Main Street (566 Main Street).
Back to Fred’s advertising: He took advantage of any public events to tie them to his store – the advent of electric cars, electric lights, and a presidential election. Below is a fun selection from over the years:
A “public exhibition” of his stock under the “Absolutely Searching Electric Light”:
Cambridge Chronicle June 21, 1890: “It goes without saying, that a Yankee is, or thinks he is, the smartest, brightest and keenest specimen of the Genus Homo” (that is Latin for Man) …
And here we have a description of the “Looks of Astonishment” that patrons displayed upon first seeing the store as he described the “activity, life and animation” they saw.
Fred Row closed up shop at the Middlesex Market in 1901. He briefly opened the Columbian Market at # 1½ Austin Street. He also managed a store on River street, but after the Columbian Market, he never again actually owned a grocery store. Fred Row succumbed to typhoid in 1910 at the age of 57.
Stay tuned for our next installment to learn more about Arthur Smith and the evolution of supermarkets!
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
Sources:
Cambridge City Directory and Newspapers
Wikipedia
Nationaldaycalendar.com
https://grocershall.co.uk/the-company/history/
Merriam Webster’s Dictionary
https://nationaldaycalendar.com/7-inventions-that-made-grocery-shopping-easier/
https://time.com/4480303/supermarkets-history/items at the checkout