1954 Telephone Book Stories
It’s amazing the stories a 1954 Grove City Greyhound Boosters Association telephone book has stored in its pages. Flipping pages brought back memories and also told stories about the city not frequently remembered.
Did you remember in 1954 Grove City had four grocery stores?
The two larger businesses were Sig’s Red & White Food Mart at 3992 S. Broadway and Kropp’s IGA Market at 3718 S. Broadway. The IGA later moved to a new building on Haughn Road which is currently occupied by South-Western City Schools. Other markets included Breck’s Market at 99 Midland St., Curtis Grocery, 3477 First St., Urbancrest.
There were many other supporting businesses such as Grove City Bakery, 3712 S. Broadway with fresh breads and pastries; residents looking for fresh dressed turkeys would drive to Milligan’s Turkey Farm at 3940 Hoover Rd.
Grove City also had a clothing store that catered to women and children. Heleines, owned by Ilene Simmons, was first located on Park Street across the street from present day Planks and later moved to Broadway sharing space with Gay Weber’s Broadway Family Fashions.
There were also two auto dealers including Harley Motor Sales, 3596 N. Broadway, offering Dodge and Plymouth cars and trucks and Grove City Motors, 4050 S. Broadway that sold used cars.
Some of the other businesses that year included Bob’s Drug Store, 3703 S. Broadway, Wallace Pharmacy, 3671 N. Broadway, Betty Lou Flowers, 3627 N. Broadway.
The city also had a number of restaurants and taverns including B. & T. Grill, 3654 N. Broadway, Broadway Restaurant, 3716 S. Broadway, DeVault's Restaurant at 3704 S. Broadway recommended reservations for their chicken and steak dinners, Enders & Sons Tavern at Park and Broadway, Gene’s Sandwich Bar, 3715 S. Broadway, and Goebbel’s Restaurant at 3711 S. Broadway offered a savings for people who purchased a meal ticket.
The Melvin P. Girbert family opened The Community Theatre at 3651 Broadway and local residents were urged to come in, rest, relax and enjoy a movie.
A business probably few remember was Reaver Flying Service offering private and commercial instruction, passenger flights and charter service at 3140 N. Broadway.
That year Granville “Granny” Shoaf advertised “Be Wise-Be Safe, Deal Only with a Broker Who Is a Realtor’. This was a few years before Shoaf adopted his memorable advertising slogan, “Don’t Loaf, Call Shoaf.”
Jackson Township trustees included Elvin Brown, John Miller and Howard Sigman. The township clerk was Oscar G. Ranke. O. E. Breckenridge was superintendent of Grove City Schools; Paul White was the Grove City village mayor; council members were Harold Windsor, Ernest Hysell, David Arick, E. L. Weygandt, John Farnsworth and Albert Moeckel.
At that time, there were four churches in the village, Grove City Methodist, Grove City Seventh Day Adventist, First Presbyterian and St. John’s Lutheran.
Compiled by James F. Hale