7 Of The Oldest Grocery Stores Still Standing In The U.S. Today

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2 days ago

Many of the buildings, towns, and storefronts we frequent on a day-to-day basis are, admittedly, not all that old. Newness tends to spring up everywhere in the United States, and the bulldozing, tearing down, or complete renovation of our buildings seems a lot more common here than it does overseas, where it wouldn't be out of the ordinary to walk into a market, grocery, or general store from the 1600s. That said, there are stores dotted around our landscape that are relatively old, given our rather young country. Many of them were, and still are, acting as grocery stores.
Grocers started out hawking items on street corners from carts and separate shops. The butcher had meat, the fishmonger had fish, the baker had bread, and farmers came to sell fruits and vegetables in larger cities. But, eventually, the one-stop-shop blueprint became the go-to for American shoppers, and grocery stores in every state followed suit. The ease of getting everything in one place saved time and allowed folks to easily navigate feeding themselves and their families without forgetting anything. From those early days, some of those "original" grocery stores across the U.S. still remain, welcoming shoppers in day after day as they have for more than a hundred years in some cases. Here are the seven oldest grocery stores still operating in the country today.
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The oldest continually operating family grocery store in the United States is Doud's Market, located in Mackinac Island, Michigan. Doud's opened its doors in 1884 and was founded by brothers James and Patrick Doud. The grocer, at that time, was called Doud Bros. and sat on the water where the Mackinac Island Ferry Company currently is. In 1938, a fire forced the closure of the original store, but the Doud family reopened down the street, changing the name to Doud's Mercantile.
In 2008, under the fourth generation of Douds, the store got a makeover and full renovation. It went back to its roots, reopening as Doud's Market. In addition to being a historic landmark, Doud's is also Mackinac Island's only grocer. With a full-fledged tourism season, Doud's supplies locals with their routine items, but it also provides tourists with all the necessities, from beer and wine to local seafood and meats. So, more than 140 years later, this little grocer is still chugging along and is absolutely worth a visit.
Snuggled into a Victorian home in Napa Valley is Oakville Grocery -- a historic spot for those visiting the Wine Country (or those lucky enough to call it home) to grab everything from wine, cheese, and bread to olives and oils. Oakville may be less of a spot for your everyday shopping and more of a place for your premade charcuterie boards and finely crafted accouterments, but back when it opened in 1881, it was a rough-and-tumble spot aimed at providing the gold rushers and grape planters coming into the Valley everything from food to hardware.
The grocery building is recorded as standing right where it does today as far back as 1874. Then, it was advertised as P.B. O'Neil's "dry goods, groceries, and hardware store." It changed names over the years and went from being referred to as a mercantile, to a general store, to a grocer and housed everything from butchers to saloons. But it always contained groceries for the farmers, winemakers, and later visitors to the area.
If you head out to Colorado, make sure not to miss the state's oldest grocery store -- and oldest continually operating business. R&R Market has operated since 1857, outpacing Colorado's statehood! The grocer sits in the city of San Luis, one of the first permanent settlements in the state, and was built there when Colorado was still just a territory. It was founded by Dario Gallegos and his business partners. Originally, the shop specialized in groceries and other necessities for travelers working across the expansive landscape in search of land for farming and homesteading. It stocked dry goods like beans, coffee, salt, flour, and cornmeal, among other necessities like cloth, livestock, and hardware.
The store faced its own hardships over the years. When restocks were needed, those running the grocery would have to travel all the way to St. Louis. Even when they picked up their wares, they could be lost to weather, bad roads, and even raids by Native Americans of the time. The original building burned down in 1895, was rebuilt in the same spot, and then burned down again in 1947 -- again, though, rebuilt in the same location. Over time, the grocer's owners changed, as did the selection -- growing to include more fresh produce, meat, and other items. The market recently underwent renovations and has been reopened as San Luis Peoples Market, continuing the tradition of being a neighborhood grocer.
A stop in the Big Easy means a few things: beads, parties, humidity, restaurants serving gumbo, and one of the best Italian subs in the U.S. -- the muffuletta. If you aren't familiar, it's the most iconic sandwich in the state. It consists of a round muffuletta loaf that's cut horizontally, then stuffed with one of the mortadella (unique deli meats every Italian sandwich deserves), as well as olive salad, ham, salami, provolone cheese, and Swiss cheese. This must-have eat was created by Salvatore Lupo, a Sicilian immigrant who also happened to be the owner and founder of Central Grocery and Deli, way back in 1906.
Located at 923 Decatur Street in New Orleans, Central Grocery opened in the French Quarter long before it was the booming tourist destination it is today. Then, the area was mostly residential, and the grocer provided everyday necessities typical of an Italian grocer, from cured meats and cheeses to pastas and freshly baked breads. The muffuletta was born as a way to put all of the usually bought items for area farmers (bread, meat, cheese, and olive salad) into one large grab-and-go situation. Although the shop has sustained damage from hurricanes Katrina, Ida, and others over the years, the third-generation owners continue to operate as a go-to neighborhood stop for those near and far.
Ohio dairy farmers E.L. (Ed) Buehler and his wife, Helen, opened the first Buehler's Fresh Foods in 1929 in New Philadelphia. But a few years later, in 1932, the family moved the business to Wooster, Ohio and slowly built a successful business with a focus on fresh, delicious offerings and a friendly atmosphere.
The store, which today has 15 supermarkets and more than 2,100 employees, carries local produce, meat, and wares from the area's farmers, including Niman Ranch and Gerber's Poultry. Buehler's is also the largest purchaser at the Mt. Hope Farmer's Produce Auction, which helps to support local growers from surrounding counties. The stores, which are under the guidance of the fourth generation of the Buehler family, were sold to the operation's employees as part of a stock program in 2017. According to Buehler's website, "The Buehlers believed that selling to their own employees was the best way to assure the continuation of the innovative and creative spirit ​that has made the Ohio grocery store chain a pacesetter for independent grocers nationwide."
The oldest full-service grocery store in New Orleans, Langenstein's, opened its doors in 1922 at 1300 Arabella Street. Although Central Grocery, the other Big Easy spot on our list, is technically older, it doesn't carry the produce and more common everyday goods that Langenstein's did and still does. The original spot was opened by Michael Langenstein and his sons, George and Richard, and was meant to be a spot carrying meat, fresh seafood, produce, and other staples for the residents of the area.
Today, the fifth generation of the Langensteins operates the grocery, which encompasses four locations. The spot at 1300 Arabella -- the site of the original store -- is still owned and operated by the family, but it works as a wine and liquor store instead. The family moved the grocery store across the street to 1330 Arabella in 1954 and added locations in Metairie and River Ridge.
Way out in Salt Lake City, Utah, George Reese Harmon and his wife, Irene, decided to get into the grocery business, circa 1932. The couple had made some money out west during the Depression and, with a little over $300 to their name, opened a fruit and vegetable stand named The Market Spot. The business quickly took off; the Harmons lived behind the store, adding children and making the grocery a true family business. They opened a spot in neighboring Granger in 1945, which burned down in the 1970s, but the family rebuilt.
Although the original 1932 spot started out modestly, the business has grown to more than 20 stores across the wider Salt Lake City area, including Davis County, Summit County, Utah County, Washington County, and Weber County. Instead of a focus on low prices, coupons, and deals, Harmons has studied European grocery models, many of which prize quality over all else. According to Salt Lake Magazine, "They sent their bakers to the San Francisco Baking Institute to learn about artisan bread. They rethought their butcher shop, started dry-aging their own meats, and hand-cutting their chickens. They made new commitments to buying from local farmers and started cooking schools to teach customers how to use their products." It's also said that four of the stores sell fully organic items and that there are licensed wine educators in the City Creek location. Harmons stores are frequently the recipients of accolades, including one of the best independent grocers in 2024.
Read the original article on Chowhound.