Advice

I learned much from my parents simply by observing them in their daily lives. But when I started my first job 70 years ago at Schreiber’s Food Market, my father gave me two pieces of advice. I pass them along to you knowing that many of you have put them into practice many times.

If something is worth doing, do it right, do a little more than is expected of you. 

This is particularly important and has brought me many rewards. About four months after I began working for the Department of Labor and Industry, I completed an investigation early and went to Annapolis to visit with friends that I had made when I worked in the Speaker’s office. And who do I bump into but the Deputy Commissioner. After I stammered an explanation, he told me that he was there about a piece of legislation which was stuck on the committee chairman’s desk. I invited him to come with me to the Speaker’s office where my friend, Grace Donald held sway. When I told her our problem, she picked up the phone, called the committee chairman and said, “The Speaker wants this bill on the floor for a vote tomorrow morning.” Guess who the Deputy Commissioner chose as Chief when the position came open!

When Richie finishes a bridge demolition ahead of schedule so that the highway reopens ahead of schedule, who is called for the next bridge demolition? When Rachel comes to work ahead of schedule during a snow storm, what impression does this make on her supervisor? You can probably think of many instances in your experiences where this has occurred. I consider this advice among the best that my father gave to me.

In about five hours we will take off and be in Baltimore before five o’clock. I cannot tell you how excited we are to be seeing many of you in the next five days.

Career Path

It has come to my attention that there has been those in our family who have been ambivalent and uncertain when choosing a major in college and subsequently a career. I believe that most people “fall in” to a career or have one chosen them by their parents. I do not believe that many, at the age of twelve, say, “I want to be a doctor” and become a doctor. I do believe that the newborn whose father is the managing partner in a prestigious law firm will eventually become a member of that law firm. But for the rest of us, we “fall in.”

Larry was at loose ends when his friend, Arthur Lawrence, decided to sell his florist supply business. Larry was ready to “fall in.” When David’s friend, Michael Rombro, began his business supplying single dosage drugs to institutions and needed some to manage it, David “fell in.” Momma and I chose once and “fell in” once. Let me explain.

When I finished my work for a Masters degree in marketing and market research there was a recession and I could not find a suitable job. I knew how to cut meat and with my business education, we borrowed five thousand dollars and purchased the soon to be known Kenmar Food Market. It was a dingy, dark, old-fashioned mom and pop grocery at 238 South Stricker Street. We set to work modernizing the business. We cleaned up the place, purchased a self service refrigerated case and made the store semi self service. Business boomed and before long we had a major portion of the neighborhood business. We paid the loan even though Risa, Larry, Arnold, Marc and Phyllis arrived within the next four years. We purchased the building at 301 South Stricker Street and moved when the lease at 238 expired. We purchased new shelving and fixtures for 301 and when the tenant who lived in the room behind the store moved, we doubled the size of the store. Our sales circular each week drew in even more customers. The store bulged with merchandise, even to the point of hanging some from the ceiling. We purchased a house at 1512 McHenry Street and moved in 1953. We moved to Merville Avenue in 1959. We were busy, productive; life was good and interesting.

Then came the letdown. We had most of the business in the neighborhood. We even went so far as to look to purchase a larger store. But an examination of the records revealed that although the revenue was ten times that of the Kenmar Food Market, the headaches were also tenfold and the net profit was the same. There was no more challenge. I was bored.

Then came Charlie Oberman! Charlie was a detail man for a food broker. His job consisted of visiting food stores and convincing them to buy and feature the food products sold by his employer. As with most salesmen who came into the store, we became friends. Charlie’s brother was a chauffeur and go-fer for Congressman Samuel N. Friedel (D. Md. 5th Congressional District). Congressman Friedel and Delegate Marvin Mandel (D. Md. 5th Legislative District) were members of the Crosstown Democratic Club whose sole purpose was their election and re-election. It was in the early 1960s that Charlie Oberman introduced me to the Crosstown Democratic Club. I was fascinated! When the President, David Kramer was forced to resign because he became a Federal employee forbidden to be and officer of a political organization by the Hatch Act, I became President. Every office seeker came to the Crosstown and I introduced them. When Willy Don first ran for the Baltimore City Council, I introduced him. He later became Baltimore’s Mayor and Maryland’s Governor and Comptroller; William Donald Schaeffer. Benjy Cardin ran for the Maryland Legislature from the 5th District; he is now Senator Benjamin Cardin (D, Md.). I knew them all and they knew me. Pretty heady stuff for a thirty-some year old grocer from Stricker Street!

I asked Speaker Marvin Mandel if I could work during the 1965 Session of the General Assembly and spent the session working as Administrative Assistant to the Speaker. I learned so much about the operation of the Legislature and the State of Maryland. Even though Momma and I continued to operate the Kenmar Food Market, my boredom had vanished. When I decided that I wanted to work for the State of Maryland, Marvin Mandel steered me to Henry Miller, Commissioner of Labor and Industry. And when my job necessitated some legal knowledge, Momma encouraged me to go to law school at night, “Just take a couple of courses.” One course led to another and another and before I knew it, I was sworn in as an attorney in 1976.

It all started with Charlie Oberman; he was my “fall in.”

So do not despair. If it doesn’t come today, some day you will “fall in.”

Snowballs

Snowballs are uniquely Baltimorean. I have never seen them in any part of the United States. Along with the arrival of warm weather came hundreds of snowball stands, many of them in the basements of row houses.

Basements had windows which opened up to the sidewalk about two or three feet above the sidewalk level and voila, there was a business location. The capital requirements were minimal; for less than $25.00 you were in business.

A metal box about 3x3x6 with a hinged lid on the top and a blade in the bottom was the device used to shave the ice. The bottom was scraped across a block of ice and the shaved ice was deposited in the device. The hinged lid was opened and the shaved ice was deposited into a paper boat. Flavored syrup was shaken into the shaved ice, a flat wooden paddle-like spoon was added and a five cent snowball was ready.

Syrup was made by mixing a five pound bag of granulated sugar with five gallons of hot water. This made twenty quarts of simple syrup. A tablespoon of concentrated flavor extract was added to each quart to complete the process. A tablespoon of concentrated citric acid was added to the fruit flavor. Chocolate flavor was made with half chocolate syrup and half simple syrup.

Sugar cost about fifty cents for a five pound bag and flavor extract was thirty-five cents for an eight ounce bottle. I don’t remember what the paper boats and spoons cost, but it was minimal. The total cost of the snowball was less than two cents.

We began selling snowballs in the store about 1965. I bought a snowball machine for $250.00. This was basically a large blender about three feet tall with a circumference of about a foot with an electric motor to turn the blades. Ice chunks were deposited into the top and a six ounce cup was held under the spout. A lever started the motor and shave ice was deposited into the cup. Flavor and the flat spoon were added and the five cent snowball was ready. Chocolate flavor, ice cream, and marshmallow were each five cents extra. The snowball machine paid for itself in about two months.

We doubled the amount of sugar and flavor extract used which made for a much better snowball. The profit was still there. One summer, David ran the snowball business. He purchased the supplies, kept records, sold the snowballs and retained the profits. As I recall, he ended up with six or seven hundred dollars at the end of the summer; and that was 1965 dollars.

Today there are very few snowball outlets, all with a minimum price of a dollar for a ten ounce cup of shaved ice and a sprinkle of flavor. My, my!

Life Decisions

It is 1945 and there were some life decisions to be made. There were those of us who had been in the military service for as much as five years. We were in our early to mid-twenties. A grateful government helped us to implement, not make those decisions, with the GI Bill. Four years of college tuition and books plus a monthly stipend were provided to those who wanted a college education. Assistance in purchasing a home was available. Compensation was available for those who wanted to work but could not find a job. Some just wanted just to lay back and do nothing now. All of us wanted to get on with our lives. A chunk of our lives had been spent in the military service and we wanted to make up for that time in a big hurry. My decision was to accept the college tuition and get the degree in as short a period as possible. And while doing this, there was an opportunity to live the college campus life; parties, athletics, etc. I definitely knew that I did not want to return to Pharmacy School. At this age and with my experiences during the past two years, I was able to resist my Father and make my own decision as to my future. Johns Hopkins University was the best college in the Baltimore area and this would allow me to live at home. In 1945, there was no pressure on young adults to “get your own place.” Economics interested me so I enrolled in the School of Business with a major in accounting. This was a wise move in that it gave me the knowledge to make good financial decisions throughout my life.

Few high school graduates at age eighteen are equipped to make decisions affecting their path for the rest of their lives. And this is not a bad thing. Many are pressured by parents and end up changing careers in midlife. Many “fall into something.” I could no find a suitable job in 1949 (we were in the midst of a recession) so we bought the store. My experience working in supermarkets prior to 1942 and my financial education were vital to the success of the store. When I got involved in politics, I “fell into” a job with the State of Maryland which lasted for 25 years. And when I was required to make legal decisions, I took a few law courses which led to a law degree and a member of the Maryland Bar. For some of us, we make that life decision early in life. We know that from childhood, we want to be a doctor or a dentist or whatever. But most of us are guided by circumstance to become what we ultimately become. We “fall into” something. We find a job because we know someone who knows someone who has an uncle who owns a business and is looking for an employee. And it turns out to be our life’s vocation. Think about your present job and your interests. You probably “fell into it” and it may turn out to be your life’s vocation.

I Become A Lawyer

At this point, I would like to ask our children, all thirteen of them, to contribute their stories and not wait until they are eighty-four years old. I am certain that their children would find them interesting.

When Bill Welsh found me in the Speaker’s office in early 1966, he was there to ask that a bill be introduced. Each year, for the past several years, he attempted to enact a law which would give the Division the authority to collect wages for employees who worked and were not paid the wages due. I had become friendly with many members of the Legislature. Among them were Alex Resnick, the Delegate from the 5th District in Baltimore City and Joseph Long, the State Senator from Salisbury on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. With the help of the Speaker’s secretary, Grace Donald and Alex Resnick and Joe Long, the bill was enacted and signed by the Governor. It was assigned to the Employment Standards Service for enforcement. The Chief, Arthur Williams, had no idea how to do this. I was called into the office to devise procedures. I created two forms; one a detailed form which gave a wage-hour investigator all the information needed to investigate and a second form with the bare essentials. The short form was sent was sent to the employer together with a letter. The letter told the employer that a claim had been filed by an employee or ex-employee that he had worked and was not paid the wages due. If the employer agreed that the wages were due, send a check and resolve the matter. If a check was not received within ten days, a wage-hour investigator would be at the employer’s place of business on (date) and (time) to discuss and resolve the claim. The workload of the Service greatly increased. At the time of my retirement in 1990, more than a million dollars was collected annually for employees who had filed claims. I was anxious to get back on the street where I could be back in the store by early afternoon.

When I became Chief in 1969 one of my duties was to interpret the laws assigned to the Service. For example; the Wage Collection Law applied to employees and employers. I was required to decide who was an employee and who was an independent contractor to whom the law did not apply. When I had questions, I would call one of my friends who was a lawyer. I hesitated to do this. When I discussed this with Momma, she suggested that I enroll in Law School and take a few courses until I could make these decisions without the assistance of my lawyer friends. So I enrolled in the Law School at the University of Baltimore. I began by taking two courses twice each week, at night. I left the office on Preston Street at 4:30 and walked over to the University of Baltimore on Charles Street. Momma picked me up at 10:00 o’clock, two evenings each week. At the end of the semester, I took two more courses and then two more courses. Suddenly, in 1975, I had eighty credits, enough to graduate and take the Bar Exam. I was in no hurry: becoming a member of the Bar would not increase my employment status. I took the Bar Exam in 1976 and was sworn in later that year. The swearing in was conducted at the Court of Appeals in Annapolis. Each new lawyer was given two tickets for guests to attend. I took Momma and Amy. After the ceremony, we walked to the State House and the Governor’s Office. Marvin Mandel had become Governor and Grace Donald had become the Governor’s Secretary. Unfortunately Marvin was not there but Grace took Amy into the Governor’s office and Amy sat in the Governor’s Chair behind the Governor’s desk. I showed Grace the Certificate I received and she offered to have it framed. It hangs over my desk on Mansfield Hollow Road.

By 1976, most of the children had moved into their own homes and apartments. My salary was sufficient and we no longer needed the earnings of the Kenmar Food Market. We sold the store and the building at 301 South Stricker Street and a new door opened for Momma.

Restless

Working in the General Assembly during the 1965 session introduced me to a new world. I became restless. The store was boring! There was no challenge. We had come as far as we could go with the store. Larry and Arnold were 15 years old and were a big help in the store. Momma said, “Why don’t you look into a State job?” So I called Marvin Mandel and he sent me to Henry Miller, Commissioner of Labor and Industry. Henry Miller sent me to William R. Welch, Deputy Commissioner. The Division was run by the Deputy Commissioner. The Commissioner came into the office a couple of times during the week. He had a thriving law practice and spent the vast majority of his time there. Bill Welch told me that I had to take a test. So I took the test and scored 105. A veteran got an extra ten points but they deducted five points because I spelled my name wrong; I left out the “d.” On the day before Thanksgiving, 1965, I reported for work at the State Office Complex on Preston Street, mezzanine floor. I was a wage-hour investigator. My duties, among others, were to visit places of business and examine the payroll records to insure that the minimum wage was being paid. The Chief, Arthur Williams was an old State employee who was Chief because he was the oldest Safety inspector and the only one who resided in the Baltimore area. The other three wage-hour investigators worked and lived in Hagerstown, Crisfield and Southern Maryland. The wage-hour investigators did not come into the office. All assignments and reports were sent to the office by mail. This was perfect! I would open the store at seven, Momma would get the children off to school, and come to the store about ten o’clock. I would go out and complete a day’s work by one o’clock and come back to the store. Momma would go home sometimes in the afternoon and I would stay and close the store at seven. Perfect!!!

One Monday afternoon in early 1966, I went to Annapolis to visit my friends, Marvin Mandel’s secretaries in the Speakers office. Who should walk in but Bill Welch, the Deputy Commissioner. “What are you doing here?” he asked. I stammered, “I finished up an audit and it was too late to start another here in Annapolis so I though that I would visit my friends in the Speaker’s Office. Let me introduce you.” To have friends in the Speaker’s office was a big, big thing because all legislation went through the Speaker’s office. When, a few years later, I wanted a bill heard, Grace Donald picked up the phone, called the Chairman of that committee, and said,” Marvin wants this bill heard as soon as possible.” Marvin never even heard of the bill! So I grew ten feet taller in Bill Welch’s estimation. Anyone who had the ear of the secretaries was a definite asset.

Then, in 1968, disaster struck for Arthur Williams and another door was opened for me. Arthur had diabetes and did not take care of himself. He was rushed to the hospital and he never returned. I was made acting Chief and on January I, 1969, became Chief, Employment Standards Service where I remained until June 30, 1990. This posed a problem because it was an 8:30 to 4:30 job. Momma had to come to the store earlier and leave later. I opened the store at seven, Momma came and I went to work. She stayed until I got back. I was late to work often and left early often. The Service now operated on complaints only and was very efficient. So as long as the Deputy Commissioner did not receive complaints from our complainers, I was left alone, especially with my influence in Annapolis. On Saturday, Larry and Arnold would come to the store with me. They would go to services at a store-front shul on Baltimore Street. Larry became 13 years old and when they found out, the next Saturday he was called to the Torah. The first time a boy is called to the Torah, he is Bar Mitzvah. So Larry was Bar Mitzvah in than store-front shul on Baltimore Street. Marc would come to the store with me on Sunday morning. Risa, Phyllis and Amy helped in the house. Everybody helped. They had to!

Change of Life

One event may make vast changes in our lives. Such an event occurred when Charlie Oberman walked through the door of the Kenmar Food Market. A food product moved from the Manufacturer to the Food Broker to the wholesaler to the Food Market to the Consumer. Charlie Oberman was a Representative of a Food Broker. He would travel to Food Markets and sell the food products represented by the Food Broker. Charlie had a brother, Irving (known as “Obie’). Obie was the driver and “gopher” for Samuel N. Friedel, United States Congressman for the Fifth Congressional District of Maryland. Samuel N. Friedel and Marvin Mandel, the Delegate from the Fifth District to Maryland State House of Delegates operated the Crosstown Democratic Club whose sole purpose was to elect and re-elect Sam and Marvin. Charlie Oberman introduced me to the Crosstown Democratic Club. We met every Tuesday evening in a long room above a saloon on Park Heights Avenue just south of Hayward Avenue. Every candidate for political office who ran in the Fifth District came to the Crosstown to seek support; from governors to United States Senators down through Baltimore City Councilmen, they all came to the Crosstown. Meeting these important people was pretty heady stuff for a grocer from Stricker Street. David Kramer was the President of the Crosstown. He wasn’t a white collar worker: he was a black collar worker. He worked for a rag processor and got pretty dirty. Dave was a smart, articulate man so Sam Friedel got him a Federal job promoting United States Government Bonds. But Dave now came within the jurisdiction of the Hatch Act which prohibited Federal employees to be officers of a political club. Dave asked me to become President of the Crosstown. I was terrified! I had never even spoken to a group but Dave promised me his full support. So I became president for two terms. Part of the job was to introduce the candidates who came to the Crosstown. Among many others, I introduced Governor Millard Tawes and Senator Sarbanes and a candidate for the Baltimore City Council, one William Donald Schaeffer. Pretty heady stuff for a grocer from Stricker Street. Sometimes I would bring Larry and Arnold to the meetings.

Sam Friedel began his campaign for re-election the day after he was elected. Whenever a Crosstown member spoke with a family member or friend he reminded them to vote for Sam. We put signs on our vehicles and in our front yards and in our friend’s and neighbor’s front yards and windows. One year I drove Sam to the many Democratic Clubs on Belair Road along the Eastern border of Baltimore. They were usually located in a tavern. Sam would go in, buy a couple rounds of drinks and shake hands with everyone. He would, of course, also have a couple of drinks. By the end of the evening, Sam was feeling no pain. He was feeling nothing! On Election Day, we would man the polls, distributing literature to the voters. On election night, we would gather at the Crosstown to monitor the results. It was so different from the Kenmar Food Market.

The Kenmar Food Market was very successful. We had pretty much all the business within a radius of about three blocks and had expanded as much as was physically possible. I had looked into buying a small supermarket, but when examining the financial records, I found that the net annual profit was no greater than that of the Kenmar Food Market. It was simply a lot more work for the same money. The operation was now almost automatic. I was restless.

I asked Marvin Mandel if I could work for the Maryland Legislature during the 1965 Session. Marvin had been elected Speaker of the House of Delegates. A loyal member of the club was awarded “time” as a reward for his work. He would go to Annapolis, swear in as an employee, never go back and receive a check for 10 days work, $100.00. Marvin said, “ Sure, I’ll put you on for ten days.” “No”, I replied. “I want to work.” “Okay,” he said. “Come to my office on opening day and we’ll work something out.” So on opening day, I went to the office of the Speaker of the House of Delegates and met Grace Donald and Laura Rowell, secretaries to the Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates. I became the Administrative Assistant to the Speaker.

And through all this, the Kenmar Food Market operated. Momma spent many hours in the store as did Larry and Arnold. The other children helped in the house. We all worked together. I don’t believe we knew what we were doing; we just did it!

1954 through 1959

The five year period between 1954 and 1959 was a very busy one and produced profound changes in our lives. David appeared in 1955 and Amy Gail came in 1958. She was such a beauty that she became known as the “ugly child.” The store prospered and the volume of business grew. This was a neighborhood business. Customers did not drive to shop, but walked. They could come to the store a half dozen times a day. They would come in the early morning to buy food for breakfast. We would break a 19 cent loaf of bread in half and sell each half for 10 cents. Many stores would sell one egg or one cigarette. Donuts would be delivered fresh each morning and customers would buy one or two donuts. Milk was sold by the quart; not by the gallon or half gallon. Many people did not have refrigeration or if they did, it was not efficient. There was no such thing as frozen foods. The first frozen food was frozen orange juice and Minute Maid sold grocers a freezer for $100.00. I borrowed the money from Uncle George Poloway. Groceries were purchased for the next meal; a customer who came in on Saturday and purchased a $15.00 order was a customer to be treasured. Meats were cut to order. When a customer wanted ground beef, out came the chuck and out came the meat grinder. A half pound of beef was cut off the piece and ground right there and then. When a customer wanted something and we did not stock, we got it and stocked it! Whatever they wanted, we got! At Christmas toys were hung from the ceiling and orders taken. We sold Christmas lights, tinsel, wrapping paper and ribbons. We took orders for Thanksgiving turkeys. They were delivered Tuesday and we stayed up all night cleaning them to be picked up by customers on Wednesday. Turkeys came with the head and feet on and the entrails inside. We sold billions of Easter eggs and jelly beans, baskets and green paper grass to put in the baskets. We sold socks, sheets and pillow cases. I suppose we were a convenience store…Plus!

We needed more room desperately but Mrs. Waters lived in the room behind the store. She is not to be confused with Mrs. Wilhelm who lived in the second floor rear room. Mrs. Waters saved newspapers. Her room was literally crammed with newspapers. During this period, Mrs. Waters died and we did not rent the room. W broke through the back wall and extended the store to the rear of the building. Additional shelving was purchased and we became a miniature supermarket. We hired a neighborhood youth to work afternoons after school. We led full lives.

Misfortune struck with the fire at 1512 McHenry Street in 1957. Fire damage was confined to the second floor front room but the whole house reeked of smoke. Mama took Risa, Marc, Phyllis and David and went to live with her parents on Park Heights Terrace. I took Larry and Arnold and went to my parents on Ingleside Avenue. Time was compressed because of the commute. By the time Amy was born in March, 1958 the renovation was not complete but we all moved back into McHenry Street. Renovations were finally completed but before the end of the year, Momma and I decided that our children needed to be raised in a Jewish environment and this could not be found at Stricker and Mchenry Streets. Momma began to look.

Kenmar Food Market moves to 301

The lease on 238 South Stricker Street ran out in 1954. There was no intention to renew the lease. We had purchased the building at 301 South Stricker Street and had prepared for a move. The store was painted and a tile floor laid. A freezer, a refrigerated vegetable case and a refrigerated reach-in box were added. Completely new shelving was in place. A window air conditioner was installed over the entrance door. All that was left to do was move the meat display case and the inventory. This was accomplished in one day and we were open for business. And remember, I was 29, Momma was 27 and we had five children all five years old or less.

Meanwhile, the children were getting older (as is usually the case) and Risa was ready to start school. The public schools in the area were bad, very bad and we needed a good school for our children. She was enrolled in the Louisa May Alcott Elementary School at Reisterstown and Keyworth Avenues. We gave our home address as the home address of Momma’s parents on Park Heights Terrace. Momma’s paternal grandmother, whom we know as Super Bubbe, lived across Keyworth Avenue from the school. I would drive Risa to school each morning and pick her up most afternoons. There were times when Momma’s mother, Grandma Esther Hoffman would pick her up and we would retrieve Risa after the store was closed. When it was time for Larry and Arnold to go to school, we chose the Talmudical Academy on Cottage Avenue. I would drop off the three of them in the morning and the School Bus would deliver the boys in the afternoon.

The boys began to work in the store in the afternoon. They would wait on the children who came in to buy penny candy. There were probably 30 kinds of penny candy like those little half balls of hard candy pasted on a strip of paper, sweet liquid juice in tiny wax bottles and giant licorice sticks; all a penny each. There were no throwaway soda bottles but there was a two cent deposit on the bottles. The children redeemed the bottles for penny candy. The boys probably ate as much candy as we sold but it kept them busy. Buzzy Berg would stop in with Richard and guess where Richard immediately went. That’s right, the candy case. Life was good; the store prospered and produced enough income for the seven of us to live a middle class life.

Problems arose but nothing serious and nothing out of the ordinary. Then two disastrous incidents struck. Larry ran out into McHenry Street and was struck by a vehicle. A visor over a headlight caught Larry in the mouth and tore open his upper lip and knocked out his two front teeth. At first we thought that his entire lip had been torn off, but it was only split. A good plastic surgeon made repairs but left a scar. This is probably one of the reasons that Larry has always had a mustache. Arnold was different. His philosophy was, “You go along with the program.”

Several years later, when Marc and Phyllis were about three years old, Phyllis found some matches and gave them to Marc. He crawled under our bed and lit one. As the smoke billowed out of our second floor bedroom windows, neighbors called the Fire Department and ran to tell us at the store. I ran to the house. It was only a half block away. It has been said that my first action was to call the insurance company. That is not true! My first action was to see that Marc and Phyllis and anyone else were out of the house and safe. My SECOND call was to the insurance company. The room was completely gutted but the insurance covered the costs of refurbishing the room.

Vehicles were important in our lives. Our first vehicle was a 1939 Plymouth which we purchased from Momma’s Uncle Lou Music. That’s the one that we pushed more than we drove. In 1950, we bought a 1948 Dodge from a salesman, Bob Hoenes who worked with my father at the Independent Lock Company. Our next vehicle was a used 1950 Chrysler nine passenger station wagon. We needed the size because everyone wanted to sit near a window. Our first new vehicle was a 1952 Plymouth station wagon, then a new 1955 Plymouth station wagon. When we moved to Merville Avenue in 1959 we needed a second vehicle because Momma learned to drive. We spent $20.00 on a two door 1952 Plymouth from Sam Berg’s junk yard. We called it the “tired monster” because the shocks in the front were bad and the vehicle tilted low in the front. But it ran and ran and ran. And guess who drove it; and it wasn’t Momma. We had a 1959 Rambler and then another Rambler. We had a 1968 Dodge Dart and a 1973 Dodge Dart. We had a 1977 Pontiac which was a total disaster. Our next vehicle was a 1978 Volvo which became known as Mom Marcie’s little red bus. David worked at Michaelson Motors where there was a Mazda franchise. We thereafter bought Mazdas.

Continuing Saga

1949 came to an end and we had a great New Year’s Eve. Laurence and Arnold appeared on the scene September 30, 1950, nine months later. Two cribs made their appearance in the tiny apartment above the store. Eight days later the Bris occurred in the apartment. It was traumatic for the boys; they did not walk for a year! Sales slowly increased as our customers got used to us and we provided many services in addition to selling them groceries. We sold postage stamps and money orders. Our customers did not have bank accounts so we cashed their pay checks and sold them money orders (checks) when they needed to send a check to pay a bill. If someone came in and asked for an item which we did not carry, we added it to the inventory. Our fathers, Willie Golberg and Sam Hoffman visited the store daily. They were very helpful. Remember we were 24 and 22 years old. Sam Hoffman had a cake route. He sold cake, cookies, potato chips, candy and other snack items to groceries like ours. He sold cakes from the Kunkel and Haverstick Bakery Willie Golberg left work at five o’clock and swung by the store on the way home.

Daily deliveries of bread and milk were made. Transactions were cash on delivery. You had to check everybody. The soda delivery men had a favorite trick. Sodas came in wooden boxes with 24 compartments and one soda fit in one compartment. They would bring in a stack of five cases. From the center of the bottom four cases they would remove four bottles, leaving 20 bottles in each case and charging for 24. It could not be seen until the top case was removed. That stopped after the first inspection caught it.

One evening Willie Golberg came in and found two insurance salesmen trying to sell me life insurance. He chased them out and said, “If you want to buy life insurance, I will send you someone.” So, one evening after I closed the store, J. Max Abramowitz came along with his son, Irving J. I was to be Irving’s client. I came in from the store, took off my bloody, dirty apron and washed my hands. We all sat down at the kitchen table. Irving was a stiff, serious young man. He continuously toyed with a ring on his finger. When I asked what that was, he replied, ”This is my school ring. I graduated from the Johns Hopkins University.” I said,” I have one like that.” I reached into the cutlery drawer in the kitchen table. “Mine has 1948 on it.” We became very close friends and remain so to this day. He would stop at the store during the day when he had some free time between appointments, sometimes for lunch. He would eat in our home because we kept Kosher. He married Grace Zerewitz who Momma knew since they were eight years old. Grace’s mother was Annie Pariser, daughter of Joseph Pariser who bought Morganstern’s Bakery on Christian Street where Esther Poloway lived and above where Abraham Poloway rented a room to sew pants. Small world, isn’t it?

Irving had a friend, Norbert Grunwald, a stockbroker, who began an investment club. Irving brought me into the club. We invested $10.00 per month and bought stocks with it. We met once each month for breakfast and discussion. I met many other young men my age, among them, one Buzzy Berg who later married Elayne Plimack and sired one Richard Stuart Berg. Small world, isn’t it?

We had a five year lease which would expire in 1954. The landlord was reluctant to maintain the property and problems arose. The property known as 301 South Stricker Street, caddy corner from the store, came up for sale. Willie Golberg managed to secure financing and we bought the property as joint tenants. The first floor was rented as a warehouse and the upper two floors were rented as apartments. The rents paid the mortgage and expenses.

On April 19, 1953 Marc AND Phyllis Sue arrived. Surprise, surprise!! We expected only one. Five children within 47 months. The apartment above the store became much too small. A three store house at 1512 McHenry Street became available and we became homeowners with a mortgage. We put down $2,500.00 and borrowed $3,000.00. We were almost the typical American family; children, a used car and a mortgage. All that was missing was a dog.

More Early Years

We bought the store in August, 1949 and moved to the apartment in September, 1949. When Rosh Hashana rolled around we went to my parent’s to spend the two day holiday. We came home the night of the second day (we would not drive on the holiday) and I took Risa’s bottles into the store to put in the refrigerated case (remember. We had no refrigerator in the kitchen). The case was warm; no refrigeration. To get to the basement, you went through two heavy steel doors set into the sidewalk along side the store. I opened the doors, took one step down, and hit water. Disaster had struck! While we were gone, a pipe burst and water filled the basement to a depth of five feet. The tenant on the third floor noticed a drop in water pressure but did not report it to the landlord. The water gushed for two days.The motors and compressors which operated the refrigeration in the store were ruined; beyond salvage. All the perishables in the refrigerated cases were garbage. The fire department was called and pumped the water out of the basement. It was a tremendous financial blow. We had been open for a month with a $5,000.00 debt and no capital. But we managed to replace the motors and compressors and were back in business the next day.

Several months later, the second shoe dropped. The building was heated by a coal furnace. I knew almost nothing about the operation of a coal furnace. I knew that coal was deposited in a coal box and a fire was lit. The coal burned and heated the air around the coal box. The poisonous fumes produced by the burning escaped through the chimney. The heated air rose through ducts into the rooms above the store which were heated by the hot air. This system of heating the building was not efficient and the building was always cold, especially the first floor where the store and our kitchen were located. I did not know how to bank the furnace at night so that the coal would continue to be burning until the morning. When the coal stopped burning during the night, I went outside through the heavy steel doors and into the basement to start the fire again. One night, we awoke coughing and choking. We ran to the windows and opened them to be able to breathe. There was a crack in the coal box and the poisonous coal fumes mixed with the heated air and rose into our apartment. We were taken to the hospital and fortunately, we suffered no permanent damage. The next day we made a deal with the landlord to pay half of the cost of tha installation of an oil burner.

The store hours were 6 A.M. to 9 P.M., Monday through Saturday and 9A.M. to noon on Sunday, a total of 93 hours per week. On Sunday I opened the store and Momma got Risa ready and packed a picnic basket I would close the store at noon, wash up, change clothes and we would get into our 1939 Plymouth (which we pushed as often as we drove) and we were off to somewhere. I can recall warming Risa’s bottle on the motor of the car. One Sunday afternoon week each month I worked in the store doing things that could not be done while the store was open. I soon discovered that there were very few sales during the first hour of the day or during the last two hours of the day. The hours were reduced to 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. and three hours on Sunday, a total of 75 hours. I was like being on vacation. We did not have funds to hire help in the store or in the house so we did it all. We worked hard and we were very happy. I suppose that we didn’t know any better.

The Early Years II

Along with many other ex-G.I.s I began college in September, 1945. And, along with many other ex-G.I.s, I was anxious to complete college and get on with my life. I took as many courses as possible and amassed enough credits to earn a Bachelors degree by February, 1948. A recession had taken hold and the market was flooded with recent college graduates. I managed to land a job with the United States Department of Agriculture. The ANNUAL salary was $1,050.00. That equates to $20.19 per week. I was based in Washington, D.C. and field trips were included in the job. When based in Washington, I got up at six o’clock in the morning, took a street car to Camden Station, a train to Washington and a bus to work and got there 8:30. I didn’t get home until 6:30 P.M. Momma and I became engaged in March, 1948 and she was not happy with the arrangement. Field trips consisted working in various cities for a two week period. We wrote to each other daily while I was away. The Department paid for transportation and gave us $6.00 per diem. The $6.00 paid for food, lodging, laundry and anything else we needed. I traveled with a partner and we could not make it on $6.00 per day each. The hotel room at the Times Square Hotel in New York was $12.00 per day. There went the six bucks. Between the travel expenses and the commuting expenses, nothing was left of my salary and I started digging into my savings. I was fortunate to live at home. By August, 1948 I was ready to leave the job. But with the recession, not much was available. Momma and I talked about it and because I had another year of college eligibility under the G.I. bill, we decided that I should go back for a year of graduate work. The wedding was scheduled for September 12, 1948 and we would live with Momma’s parents Samuel Zelig and Esther Hoffman in a three bedroom row house on Park Heights Terrace. There was room in that there was only Momma’s 18 year old brother, Bernard (Buddy) living there. I began college when we got back from the honeymoon. We received a stipend of $105.00 per month, $80.00 of which went for room and board. We made do and when Momma needed a winter coat, she worked for a credit company and we bought a good winter coat.

I finished the year of college in May, 1949 and Risa was born in June, 1949. Jobs were scarce and I took a job with Wearever Pots and Pans selling door-to-door. It did not work out. We looked and looked, talked and talked. We finally came up with the idea of a grocery store. I knew how to cut meat from working in supermarkets before I went into the Army and had a degree in business. We enlisted the four parents and finally found a suitable store for sale at 238 South Stricker Street with living quarters behind and above the store. My parents loaned us $5,000.00 and by late August, we were budding grocery magnates and Kenmar Food Market was born. We moved on September 12, 1949. We took Risa’s carriage, her necessities and blankets for us. The first night, we slept on the blankets on the floor. The next day, I went out and bought a spring and mattress. To store clothes and other possessions, we used orange crates. Momma was 22 years old, I was 24. We had a kitchen behind the store and four rooms on the second floor. The front room was a cavernous room which we used to hang clothes to dry. There were no Pampers so we washed Risa’s diapers and hung them to dry in the second floor front room. The first thing we bought was a front loading Bendix washer. It had a round glass door and we parked Risa in front. She watched the clothes go round and round and was fascinated. We had no refrigerator so we kept the perishables in the refrigerated display cases in the store. In May, 1950, we received a life insurance dividend check, enough to buy an Admiral refrigerator to use in the kitchen. Eureka, what luxury!! My parents contributed the unused, hideous green kitchen set from their basement. We began our family life.