One hundred or so years ago neighborhood grocery stores were common.

Chatham, in fact, had 55 of them circa 1900.

They were easy to reach, probably just down the street from where you resided.

If you lived near the intersection of Queen and Harvey Street there would have been as many as four of these grocers within a five-minute walk.

There was no refrigeration, so meat and other products had to be consumed, pretty much, the same day they were purchased, unless, of course, your family had an ice box.

The method of selection of goods was vastly different than today.

There would be an aisle down the middle of the store and a clerk would attend the customer.

The customer would point to the items she wanted and the clerk would take them to the counter where the cashier (usually the store owner) would write down the items and begin running a total.

It would not be a long list........

© Sarnia Observer