Interior Views of Groceries in Sandusky

As discussed in a previous blog entry, the neighborhood grocery store was the primary source of  provisions for Sandusky residents in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Below are some interior views of neighborhood grocery stores. 

Adam Helget had a grocery store at 2101 West Monroe Street from about 1915 through 1939. Mr. Helget’s grocery featured baskets of fresh produce and canned goods. Breakfast cereals carried at the Helget grocery included Quaker Corn Puffs and Washington Crisps Corn Flakes. An ice box, which kept perishables fresh, can be seen at the back of the store.

The Schweinfurth Brothers grocery was located at the corner of Hayes and Columbus Avenues for many years. A listing in the 1919-1920 Sandusky City Directory stated that John and Simon Schweinfurth were “dealers in staples and fancy groceries.” (Other members of the Schweinfurth family had grocery stores in other locations.) A wide variety of home and commercially canned goods can be seen on the shelves of the Schweinfurth Brothers store. Nabisco products were stocked on the upper back shelves.

In this interior view of an unknown grocery store, seven flavors of Jello were sold at ten cents per box, and the container which was holding Dernell’s GoldenCrisp Potato Chips stated that they were “always reliable.”

Visit the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center to view vintage photographs from Sandusky and Erie County. Historical Sandusky City Directories provide details about local businesses and residents from 1855 through the present time.