Our Grocery Store

When our youngest daughter was three months old we bought the Peru Retail Grocery Store on North Broadway. The old Y M C A was at the North Corner and the Golden Flash Gas Station was on the South Corner of the block where our Grocery Store stood. There was a vacant lot next to the Y and then our Store. We were excited about our own business. Prices were much lower then. I have a picture of our store and the price of Bacon was 24 cts a pound. I find it very discouraging to pay $2.50 to $3.00 a pound for bacon now. My husband was the meat Cutter and I worked in the store as clerk and stocker. Beth was a baby and she went to work with me and stayed in her play pen and was promptly spoiled by our customers. We made deliveries and sometimes I had to substitute as the butcher. That sure helped me after we no longer had the store to know what cuts of meat to buy. Meats were cut each day as there was no such thing as packaged meats. That all changed for us when a Super Market built a store in the next block. They were the reason the small Mom and Pop stores began to close including our store. We could not compete with their prices and our credit business was unsure and that didn't pay our bills and that was true of all the small stores. The personal relationships were no longer part of our lives. The bags of candy for the kids was no longer given. Now when we go into a store and have to look for something it is hard to find someone to answer a question. No more "May I help you?"We must have progress. Is that good or bad???