Welcome to the final installment of our series on supermarkets in Cambridge!
SUPERMARKETS
The 1920’s and 30’s saw a flourishing of these new supermarkets in Cambridge:
Cambridge Chronicle July 20, 1929
Cambridge Chronicle November 11, 1932
Cambridge Chronicle February 17, 1938
Cambridge Chronicle March 3, 1938
Cambridge Chronicle May 12, 1938
And finally, the evolution of supermarkets in one location: 115 Prospect Street.
Cambridge Chronicle June 11, 1942: First National
Cambridge Chronicle November 15, 1979: Bread and Circus
Cambridge Chronicle March 10, 1994: Whole Foods
FUN FACTS ABOUT GROCERY SHOPPING Excerpts from: The Evolution of the Supermarket Industry: From A&P to Walmart by Paul B. Ellickson, March 15, 2015
7 Inventions That Made Grocery Shopping Easier
Shopping Carts The first shopping cart was invented in 1937 by Sylvan Goldman, who was distressed at seeing women who quit shopping when their own wicker baskets got too heavy with groceries. His solution was to design a “folding basket carrier.” These carts didn’t take off right away, despite the convenience they offered. It wasn’t until the rise of the supermarket that more shoppers recognized the benefits of using one.
Supermarkets By 1960, over 70 percent of the nation bought their groceries at supermarkets. But it’s more than just groceries these supermarkets had to offer: Along with food, supermarkets provided a convenient way for shoppers to buy beverages and household products.
Grocery Bags Carrying several heavy brown paper bags that had been in use for decades could be challenging. It became more convenient to carry groceries in plastic bags equipped with handles. These plastic bags made their debut in the United States in 1979 but it wasn’t until 1985 that a large majority of supermarkets offered plastic bags.
Credit Cards Credit cards were invented in 1958, but it took grocery stores a long time to accept this form of payment. Before grocers accepted credit cards, most customers paid by check which caused increased wait times in line. Before 1991, only 800 supermarkets accepted credit cards. After 1992, more than 5,000 supermarkets began to take this convenient form of payment.
Self-Checkout The first-self checkout, called “the service robot,” was invented in 1992. By 2003, supermarkets across the country offered self-checkouts.
Online Shopping Nowadays, people don’t even have to set foot in the store to buy their groceries. They can buy their groceries online from the convenience of their own home and have them delivered. According to the latest statistics, there are about 93 million online grocery purchasers.
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
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.
Cambridge Chronicle January 4, 1849
Or stopped by William E. Fyfe’s shop for baked goods. The census of 1860 lists him as a “cracker peddler.”
Bakeries: City Directory 1866
Cambridge Chronicle August 11, 1866
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.
Cambridge City Directory 1866
Cambridge City Directory 1860
Poultry: Fred Richardson on River Street was well stocked with a variety of edible birds:
Cambridge Chronicle September 15, 1883
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.
Cambridge Chronicle April 5, 1849
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.
Cambridge Chronicle 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.
Modern image of 80 Pleasant street, corner of Chalk St. (Google street view)
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).
Cambridge Chronicle April 9, 1881
Advertisement in the Cambridge Chronicle November 23, 1878
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:
Cambridge Chronical January 4, 1879
Cambridge Chronicle February 2 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?
Cambridge Chronicle November 25, 1882
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.”
Cambridge Chronicle October 24, 1885
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.
Cambridge Chronicle October 27, 1888
Ward, along with Row (and Smith), was featured in an article in the Cambridge Chronicle on “Men of Cambridge Markets,” (April 9, 1893):
Cambridge Chronicle 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:
Cambridge Chronicle December 3, 1887
Cambridge Chronicle February 23, 1889
Cambridge Chronicle October 19, 1889
A “public exhibition” of his stock under the “Absolutely Searching Electric Light”:
Cambridge Chronicle October 19, 1889
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.
Cambridge Chronicle April 12, 1890
Cambridge Chronicle December 27, 1890
Cambridge Chronicle June 11, 1892
Cambridge Chronicle April 16, 1892
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.
