Bremer Groceries and Saloon

In the first quarter of the twentieth century, members of the Bremer family operated grocery stores in Sandusky. J.D. Bremer was listed as a saloon keeper in the 1880 U.S. Census. In 1902, he ran both a saloon and a grocery store in the 600 block of McDonough Street, and by 1908 had moved his grocery business to the southwest corner of Vine and Monroe Streets (pictured above). He sold staple and fancy groceries and provisions at his grocery store, as well as flour and feed. 

In the early days of telephone service, there were competing phone companies, whose customers could only call other phones connected to the same services; therefore, many businesses subscribed to both services. This was true at the J.D. Bremer store, with the Bell Telephone Company and the Harrison Telephone Company both having phone lines to the store. 

J.D. Bremer ran his grocery store at this location until the early 1920s. Herman Bremer, most likely a brother, also had a grocery store in Sandusky. In 1908, Herman’s store was at the southeast corner of Monroe and Clinton Street. When Herman Bremer died in 1911, the Sandusky Register reported his death on the front page of the March 13, 1911 issue of the paper.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

After Herman Bremer’s death, his sons and wife ran the grocery store until about 1916. Before the automobile age, many neighborhoods had their own small grocery store. The 1921-1922 Sandusky City Directory listed ninety separate grocery stores on pages 475 to 477.