St. Cloud Area Grocery Stores Revisited (Part 2)

Grocery stores have changes dramatically over the years and where groceries can be purchased in the St. Cloud area has also changed.  This is our 2nd installment of our St. Cloud area grocery store revisited feature.  I am joined by St. Cloud area historians John Decker and Jim Grabinski.

The majority of the grocery stores we examine in this feature are neighborhood ones.  On 3rd Street North there were 5 grocery stores.  From the 1940s until 1978 Sid and Cecil's Little City was on 30th Avenue and 3rd Street.  It was owned by Sid and Cecil O'Hara and opened in 1945.  It had a trailer park, grocery store, saloon and barber shop.  In 1978 Tim and Mick O'Hara purchased it and built a new building and changed the name to O'Hara Brothers Pub & Restaurant.

On 30th Avenue and 3rd Street Knafla's grocery store was run by Louis Knafla in the 1960s until 1979.  It eventually closed and a small church moved in to that location.  4 blocks away on 26th Avenue and 3rd Street was Schoen's grocery.  When the owner retired it became Knafla's grocery.  It's now 3rd Street Hair.

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On 18th Avenue and 3rd Street was Suetter's Grocery.  It was a triangle shaped building at that intersection and it lasted until the early 1990s.  The Microbiologics building is now across the street.

On 16th Avenue and 3rd Street North Weiss Oil Company was there.  They sold some groceries.  It's kitty corner from St. John's Cantius Church which was known as the Polish church.

Goetten's market was located on the corner of 1000 St. Germain Street in the 1960s.  Buster Goetten owned it.  His sister was the teacher in the "Our Gang" TV series.  This was located where Falcon National Bank now is.

Witschen's Grocery in the 1970s was at 720 8th Avenue North.  It was owned by Butch Witschen.  It's now Castle Realty.  Dietman's Grocery was at 520 8th Avenue South.  It is now an apartment complex.

Gamble Robinson Company was a wholesale fruit and grocery store.  It was located at 507 1st Street North downtown St. Cloud.  Warehouse Market was owned by Nash Finch.  It was on Highway 15 just west of St. Cloud from 1964 - 1987.

25th Avenue Dairy Bar was in the little strip mall on 25th Avenue North in St. Cloud.  It was owned by Bernard Dukowitz.  It opened in 1964 and closed in 1998 when Bernard's wife Hilda died.

Bob's Warehouse was located on the east side of St. Cloud at 1st Street Southeast next to where the Target parking lot currently is.  The grocery store was open in the 1960s and 1970s.

White Food Market was located in Sauk Rapids on Benton Drive downtown.  It was on the same block as the original Coborns and Layman's Red Owl store.  It was open in the 1950s and 60s.

Midway Grocery was located at 1021 2nd Avenue North in Sauk Rapids a few blocks from the Benton County Fairgrounds.  It was open in the 1980s and 1990s.  Winston & Newell Company was a grocery wholesaler located in the east side at 519 Lincoln Avenue Northeast.

Thelen's Grocery was at 1011 6th Avenue in Waite Park.  Fourth Ward Meat Market was at 403 North 9th Avenue North in St. Cloud a few blocks north of the downtown post office.  It was next to Eddie's Wigwam Bar.

Sartell Grocery was located at Riverside Avenue.  It was purchased in 1978 by Coborn's.  It became their 7th store.

Jerry's Market was at 1828 East Highway 23.  It was east of the Highway 10 overpass in the 1980s close to where a used furniture store now is.  People's Food Co-Op was at 419 East St. Germain Street in St. Cloud in the 1970s-80s.  It was 2 doors down from Beaudreau's Bar.

Corner Grocery was at 1747 7th Street South about 2 blocks west of Tech High School in the 1950s-1960s.  It is now a residence.  Dairyland Farms had 2 locations on 2 North Riverside Avenue South and 857 South 14th Street in St. Cloud.

Norbs Superette was at 712 Southeast 5th Avenue in St. Cloud in the 1980s-1990s.  Eddie's Super Market was at 115 7th Avenue South in St. Cloud in the 1960s.  The Children's Museum is moving into that spot.

Mel's Grocery was at 628 Wilson Avenue Northeast in the 1960s.  If was a few blocks from the Benton County Fairgrounds.

If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Jim Grabinski and John Decker, it is available below.