Our
History
Friedman's History as told by Carole Friedman
Bitter,Ph.D., President and CEO. My grandfather,
Jacob Friedman, immigrated to the United States from Austria,
Hungary, at the turn of the century. He was 16 and came to
the New World by himself. After trying his hand at blacksmithing
and severing two fingers, he turned to the grocery business
in western Pennsylvania. He first went to McKeesport,
where there was a large Hungarian population and where he
met his wife, Helen Kohn.
We know he peddled produce on a pushcart,
and he also sold sewing notions like thread, needles, and
housewares. Ultimately he opened a little grocery store in
Lyndora, Pennsylvania, where his five children were born.
Grandma
worked in the business, and household money was taken from
the till, which was a cigar box. One of her specialties was
the bulk cheese department. The building still exists
and is where Kosar's Bar stands today.
All the children worked in the store, as did my cousin, Little
Alice, who at 87 has a wonderful memory and who filled us
in on a lot of company history when she visited from New York
this past April.
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We
opened our West Jefferson Street store on June 25, 1918, where
the Outdoor Army Store is today. There were World War
I news articles on the front page of the Butler Eagle surrounding
the story of our Grand Opening, and there were headlines like
"Russians Blow Up Munitions Dump" . . . "Kaiser
Wilhelm Rushed to the Front." The Butler Eagle stated
: "The new sanitary Friedman's
market on West Jefferson Street will be the sensation of the
hour when it is formally opened for public inspection and approval
at 7 o'clock Friday evening.
"After many unavoidable delays
in securing material and workmen, it is being completed for
business, and the keen housewife will be delighted when she
views this market, one of the best in western Pennsylvania.
" The motto will be quality at
the right prices and sanitation. The market place is a large
room 40 by 80 feet with lots of sunlight At the front there
are two large plate glass windows, which will contain fruit
and green goods. The finishings are mahogany woodwork with white
paneled walls and marbleoid flooring. It is lighted throughout
with electric lights, and five electric fans have been installed.
The counters are white marble with plate glass shields
that will warrant absolute sanitation. In the meat department
special cases are glassed in, making them dust and air proof,
and contain a cooling system. The refrigerator for the meat
and dairy department is of four-ton ice capacity.
"The market will contain four
separate departments, each under the control of an efficient
and experienced business manager. It is to be operated
on a strictly cash basis and a delivery system has been planned
for special deliveries at certain hours to each district of
the town.
" Jacob Friedman, the proprietor,
is a well-known, reliable businessman having had 18 years' experience
in this line of business. He is receiving congratulations
from his business associates for which he is entitled, for bringing
to the citizens of this community and to Butler County a market
containing first class working equipment, which will meet the
demands of all classes, catering alike to every housewife and
furnishing a complete line of meats, groceries and produce chosen
with careful selection in regard to quality and the right prices."
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In
1923 the Butler Eagle reports that a barber, walking home at
2:00 A.M., discovered a fire at this store and ran to the local
fire company.
"The Friedman Family Welcomes Your
Family" invitations for the VIP Reception at the Regatta
noted that the picture was of the Monroe Street store Grand
Opening in 1949 -- but we have since learned it was taken in
1935!
Recently my cousin called from San Diego
in the early morning -- 5:15 A.M. his time. My first thought
was that something had happened to his elderly mother. Instead,
he told me he had received the invitation, had described it
to his mother (because she is practically blind), and told her
that his father was in the Grand Opening photo. Cousin Minnie
stated, "It couldn't have been 1949 because Sam left Grandpa
Jacob in 1941." It seems the photo was the Grand
Reopening of the Jefferson Street store that had been closed
for a year and a half due to a fire!
In the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, the
one store supported a lot of families, including all of the
relatives that Grandpa helped bring over from Europe.
Each person worked for him awhile to get settled, and then went
on to open his own little business -- usually a meat shop.
By 1938, my father was married, earning
$5.00 a week, and my grandfather wouldn't give him a raise,
so he left and went into competition with him in a store named
The Model Market. My mother ran the business when my father
went to war (that was World War II) and she saved money while
he was gone so that they were able to buy a tiny house in 1946.
Eventually Dad rejoined Grandpa Jake
(as he was known), and Uncle Milton and Cousin Milton were the
other partners.
In 1949 we opened the Monroe Street
store; in 1958 the Bon Aire store; in 1960, Saxonburg; in 1961,
Slippery Rock; and in 1963, Point Plaza I. In 1974 we opened
Greater Butler Mart, in 1975 Mercer Road, and in 1976 we almost
went bankrupt.
In the early years, there were dozens
of small suppliers. In the 1930s we bought mostly from Clover
Farm, then switched to Golden Dawn in the 1940s. In 1960 we
became customers of Fox Grocery Company because they would finance
our growth where Golden Dawn would not.
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In
1960 we joined the Foodland franchise which we were part of
until 1984, when we had a falling out with Fox / Wetterau. In
1984, at the Foodland Convention, we won a record 17 awards
but had no idea Wetterau was scheming to put two Food Arenas
in business to compete against us.
Then we bought from Peter J. Schmitt
until their bankruptcy in 1992, and have been a major customer
of Penn Traffic since then.
We've
seen enormous changes. From bulk produce to packaged, to bulk
again. Bulk grocery items in stainless steel drums we
filled with liquids like honey and syrup. Trading stamps.
Boxed beef. Discounting. Warehouse stores. Scanning.
The movement to part-time associates.
Unionization. Fast food restaurants that take business from
supermarkets. Alternate formats like Wal-Mart, KMart,
Phar-Mor. The move to take-out food, gift baskets, and
catering.
And we've had crises. Wars. Floods.
Robberies. The death of the founder, Jacob, Uncle
Milton, my mother Alyce, cousin Milton, Petie Pintell, Don Okeson,
Frank Stanko, Rich Marchinoski, and my father, Harold. Fires
(1925, 1935, 1988, 2000). Price Wars like A&Ps price war in
the 1930s or A&Ps WEO Program in the 1960s.
What never changes is the need to serve
our customers better than anyone else can serve them. Friendly
service. Reinvesting in our business and remodels. Competitive
prices. Great perishables. And the very best associates,
many who have been with the company for years.
And so . . . there you have it. Over
100 years in 10 minutes. Thank you for learning how Friedman's
has been serving our community for over 100 years.
Click here to return to top of our history page.
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