Locke & Company Grocery (1972)
A few weeks ago I bought a collection of photos of a small town grocery store named Locke & Company. The location was unmarked however many thanks to Gary W. who looked it up and discovered that it was located in Virginia. The photos date from 1972 and 1983. My guess is that whoever took or collected this series of photos either worked at, owned or had some relationship to the store. Here we see a smiling man, perhaps Mr. Locke himself, behind the register surrounded by shelves stocked with all manner of grocery items from floor to ceiling housed in brightly colored packaging. This is the only interior shot of the store dated 1972. The others are dated 1983 however in those we will see more of the interior and its varied inventory from many angles. Friends, welcome to a little trip back in time to Locke & Company Grocery. If you don’t see what you want, just ask for it!
The above exteriors are from 1972.
The exterior seen below is from 1983.
The following interiors are from 1983...
Based on these photos it appears that massive floor to ceiling shelves cover at least two of the store’s walls. Jars of honey, cans of coffee, boxes of crackers, cereal, tea, bags of potato chips, Sunbeam bread and a variety of health and beauty aids sit on shelves and hang on racks. One could imagine popping in here quickly for basic necessities (or more) to avoid a longer trip to a larger store. Fresh produce could likely be purchased directly from a local farm stand if it’s not available here... And if it’s not available here it might not exist. Having spent a lot of time around salumerias and bodegas in New York, I see similarities here however this store projects more of a country flavor.
Are you that customer whose shopping list includes horse health products, utility gloves and diapers? Well, there’s only one place to go!
Here is a rack of quintessentially 1980s kid stuff: A Pac Man yoyo and several varieties of Pac Man stickers hang from a spinning rack. Baskets of fruit, perhaps locally grown, sit before a rack of Pepperidge Farm cookies in their distinctive white bags. At this distance and with the colorful saturation provided by the original 35 mm film print, the merchandise on the shelves has the quality of a child’s miniature store play set. It’s easy to imagine reaching into this photo to pick up a box of Ritz crackers or Wheat Thins between thumb and forefinger, saying “Look how well they replicated that box!” Though tightly packed with a complex arrangement of items, this whole scene speaks to simpler times.
Downy? Check. Cheer? Check. Brillo? Check. Comet? Check. Niagara Spray Starch? Check. Clorox? Check. Jell-O? Check. Gold Medal Flour? Check. Duncan Hines Cake Mix? Check. Betty Crocker Frosting? Check. Minute Rice? Check. Rice-A-Roni? Check. Nestle Quik? Check. Coke? Check. Pepsi? Check. Froot Loops? Wait. Let Me Check...
That vintage Coca-Cola cooler is EVERYTHING.
