Corner Grocery
The Corner Grocery. Grocery stores have occupied the southeast corner of Main and Washington streets for almost 150 years. The legacy began in the year 1854, when L Hollenbeck started a store on this corner with living quarters on the second floor. James M. Bartelson owned the store from 1857 to 1879. Frank and Ida Grubbs operated the grocery business from 1890 to 1908 and their family also lived upstairs, where two of their children were born. In 1909, the business became known as Bill Lavelle’s Grocery, then Peoples Grocery, Harley Woodley, and then Deke Graves Corner Grocery. In 1946, Jack Sholes bought the Corner Grocery. Jack had first come to Center Point in 1935 with his grandparents when he was a sophomore in high school. He worked after school and weekends at the same grocery store he would later own. When he graduated from CPHS in 1937, he returned to Chicago to live with his family and worked for Jewel Tea as an assistant manager in the grocery department. In 1941 he married his high school sweetheart Roberta Haars. Then, after two years in the navy, he returned to Center Point and bought the Corner Grocery, rearranging it to be more like the Chicago store. Jack would drive to Cedar Rapids and buy his stock from Witwer Wholesalers.
In 1953, the old wooden building that had been there since 1854 was torn down and a block building was built in its place. The new store offered self-serve freezers and refrigeration. He was the first grocer in Linn County to install glass door freezers. Jack remodeled many times over the years, accommodating his customers with the finest. In 1957, Nash Finch became the supplier and the store name was changed to Jack & Jill.
Jon, Jack’s son, worked along side his father in the business ever since he was old enough. Jack retired in 1981 and sold the store to Jon. In 1994 Jon sold the store to Rod and Teri Bishop and it was renamed T & R Food Pride. Rod relocated his business to Ford Lane in 1999 and the building was sold to Nelson Cabinets. This ended 125 years of grocery service to Center Pointers on this same corner of Main Street.
Interior of Bartelson Grocery. Circa 1877, l-r: Bill LaVelle and James Bartelson.
1857 - 1879 James Bartelson Grocery on same corner as Corner Grocery.
Drilling the town well in 1898. Businesses from l-r: S.W. Miller Billard Hall, Central Livery- Menear Bros, Joseph Poole, Carriage Painter. Pictured l-r: Jack Myers (with whip), unidentified man by drill, James Bartelson, Sam Dunlap, and Frank Grubbs. The two children at their feet are Vera and Lloyd Grubbs, born on second floor of their father’s store pictured on corner F. M. Grubbs & Co.
The Corner Grocery as it appeared on the left in the 1940s. The wooden building was built in 1854 and housed general merchandise and groceries until it was torn down in 1953. Jack Sholes built the new block building shown on the right and continued selling groceries. Rod Bishop last sold groceries here in 1998. The town well is still shown in both pictures as a hand pump to the left of the buildings.
Same corner shown in above pictures. Today home to Nelson Cabinets since 1999.