Lotz Grocery Once Stood at the Corner of Shelby and West Washington Streets

The popular eatery Joe Sundae’s has been in operation at the northeast corner of Shelby and West Washington Streets since 2007, but this commercial property has been home to several other businesses since the 1850s. Ellie Damm wrote in her book Treasure by the Bay that Henry Lotz had this building constructed between 1850 and 1852, along the edge of the Old Plat of the city of Sandusky, and ran a grocery store at this location for over thirty years. Below is a portion of page 61 from Hellrigle’s 1876 Sandusky City Directory. This listing states that Henry Lotz resided at the same address as his grocery store.

After Lotz died in 1887, a variety of different businesses were located in this historic brick structure. It was briefly a millinery shop. For a time, Mr. Lotz's granddaughter Myrtle L. Meagher had her piano studio on the upper floor. In the early 1920s the Maschari Brothers had their fruit store here, before moving to the current location. On Friday, April 17, 1925,  a Kroger’s store opened at 1119 West Washington Street. Bread sold for ten cents a loaf, and flour was $1.35 for twenty four and a half pounds.

The Kroger’s store was in business at 1119 West Washington Street until the early 1940s. (In 1932 there were seven Kroger stores in Sandusky.)  

From 1945 until about 2005 Cronin’s Tavern was at this location. Dan Cronin had a tavern on West Market Street before moving to this location. Later the proprietor of Cronin’s was Bee Bumgardner. In 1964 Cronin’s customers were entertained by Adrian “Foxey” Fox on drums and Phyllis Kromer at the piano and organ. During the 1960s a large advertisement for P.O.C. pilsener beer was painted on the Shelby Street side of Cronin’s Tavern. You can see a picture of Cronin’s Tavern on page 72 of Ellie Damm’s book Treasure by the Bay. The building at Shelby and  West Washington has seen thousands of local residents pass through its doors through its many years of existence in our community.

Historic Views of the Southwest Corner of Monroe and Hancock Streets

    

When M.J. Bender opened a grocery store at the southwest corner of Monroe and Hancock Streets in Sandusky on February 18, 1891, a newspaper ad stated that it was “one of the finest and largest grocery stores in Sandusky.” Bender’s carried a full line of fancy and staple groceries, flour, and feed. The store was located on the site of Ohly’s old stand. By 1908 Mr. Bender moved his store to the corner of Hancock and Water Streets. For a brief time, sometime between 1910 and 1920, Wendt’s grocery was at that location.

   

In the 1920s and 1930s, the Lazarra and Maschari families ran a fruit market on this site. From at least 1940 through 1960, Otto’s Ice Cream was in business at 701 Hancock Street. This advertisement appeared in the Sandusky Register Star News on January 25, 1946.

         

By 1990 a flooring business was in operation at 701 Hancock Street. 

        

Many different businesses have been in operation at this busy Sandusky intersection. Some years, no business was at this location. To learn more about any specific location in Sandusky, visit the Sandusky Library to view historic Sandusky city directories. The street listings are helpful in determining what businesses were at what address at a given time.

Remember the Eisenhowers?

An article from the Sandusky High School student newspaper The Sandusky Hi Lites from February 13, 1953 features a picture of four SHS students who wore hairstyles with bangs. The article began, “Any way it’s looked at, bangs seem to dominate the nation’s politics as well as hair styles this year. Whether they’re curled, brushed up, brushed down or just plain straight, it appears as if they’re here to stay.” The wife of newly-elected President Dwight Eisenhower, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower is pictured, along with Judith Maschari, Fran Sausser, Diane Williams and Kathy Murray. The photographer was Jerry Zellers.

Going Bananas

Found accidentally, while researching something else. . . . a paragraph in a column called "Breakfast Table Talk," in the May 7, 1924 Sandusky Register:

"Yes. We have some bananas" said Al Maschari, W. Water-st. when he received Tuesday what is said to be the largest bunch of bananas ever consigned to this city. The bunch weighed 119 pounds, and held some 20 dozen or more of the famous fruit.

Of course, the opening line is a reference to a song that became a major hit in the United States in 1923, Yes, We Have No Bananas. Bananas were still a relatively new item in the American market, first imported in 1870, but by the 1920s they were one of our most popular fruits. Few other fruits were available in northern states during the winter, before advanced cold-storage facilities and high-speed transportation.

But the real reason for this article is to show this great picture of the Riccelli store, at 119-121 E. Market St. in 1920.

Unfortunately, we do not have any images of the Maschari store, which was located at 115 E. Water St. in 1924. Of course, we are always willing to accept images of Sandusky businesses and other local scenes -- if you have any to offer, we're here!