Price Chopper
The story of how Price Chopper was born is a time-honored tale of determination and destiny. In 1900, a man named Lewis Golub arrived at Ellis Island from Russia. Though he arrived in America with only 50 cents in his pocket, he eventually made a home for himself in Upstate New York in the city of Schenectady, and carved out a life for himself in the country that offered him freedom to succeed.
Lewis brought his sweetheart, Tillie, over to America from his hometown of Bialystock, and launched his first business, a lunchroom that stayed open until 1907. Lewis then opened a small dairy store that gradually turned into a wholesale grocery business.
A strong work ethic was central to the lives of Lewis, his wife and children Bernard (Ben), William (Bill), and Dorothy, who all worked side by side in the family business. Despite the odds and the back-breaking hours, the company soon expanded into a rented warehouse.
When Ben graduated from Columbia University in 1925 and Bill earned his degree from the University of Michigan in 1926, they entered the business with fresh ideas and energies. Shortly before his death in 1930, Lewis Golub merged his company with one owned by Joseph Grosberg so that his sons would be part of a larger, stronger firm.
On November 17, 1932, Ben and Bill opened the area’s first "one stop shopping" outlet in Green Island, NY. Called the Public Service Market, the innovative store was the early ancestor of modern supermarkets. With the boldness that became a hallmark of the family, the brothers opened a second market in Watervliet, NY, a few months later.
The Public Service Market wasn’t a grocery store in the traditional sense. It offered a bit of everything: groceries, meat, fresh produce, dry goods, clothing, a barber shop, cafeteria and more under one roof. Customers walked from one department to another carrying wicker baskets to fill with bargain-priced merchandise. After selecting groceries, shoppers took them to one of the checkers in a big square in the center of the store. Based on the success of this store, the future looked bright.
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Price Chopper information
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