Shelves piled neatly to the ceiling and worm floor boards lined in front of two long counters are the only evidence of the once prosperous business that took place in the Star Grocery Store in Souris.

The Star Grocery officially closed its doors to business in December 1976 after three generations of management, and including two World Wars and a depression.

J. G. Sterns is responsible for building the three story building and starting the business. His son eventually took over the the business and finally Sterns' grandson, Roy White, was left to carry on the family tradition.

Several years ago Mr. White was forced to retire because of his health and now he has decided to sell the last of the remaining merchandise which features many nostalgic items sold during the first of the century.

Women's laced boots, posters, cigar boxes, hats and nail bins are only a few of the articles being sold by Mr. White.

Because the White's don't have enough room in their home to keep everything from the store, "We have no choice, most of it has to go as much as we'd like to keep it all."

Looking over the display brought memories back for Mr. White when he first took over the business. "I started on June23 1930," he said, "In those days the merchants knew their customers by name. There's no personal feelings between the store owners and their customers in the modern stores."

Mr. White recalled talking over personal problems with his customers in the store office on more than one occasion. "Advertising and stores only attract customer's pocketbooks these days," he added, "It wasn't the same back then."

In the early 1900's Sterns, Son & Co. offered men's suits from $5.25 and up, corset covers from 25 cents to 60 cents; ready mixed paints at $1.60 per gallon and neck ties from 13 cents.

The prices may have increased when Mr. White took over but the style of business never changed. "Biscuits, sodas, milk lunch and starch were all weighed and sold bulk," he continued, "Two cents could get you a quarter pound of cream or tarter."

Mr. White described the depression years as a challenge. "There was no money to buy things then," he said, "But I had regular customers, some who shopped at my store for over 40 years."

Averaging an 80 hour week week, Mr. White said much of this time was consumed included the weekends when the shelves had to be restocked before beginning another week.

"My wife helped in the store and we never had more than one clerk hired at one time," he explained, "Shopping was different then because a customer just came into the store, handed the clerk his grocery list and left. In a little while the customer came back, picked up the groceries and his shopping was completed."

Most of the merchandise sold in the store was transported to Souris by way of the railroad in the early 1900's and Mr. White recalled that trucking didn't start until the mid thirties.

"I didn't get rich from the business. In fact there's debts valued at thousands of dollars still owing to the store," Mr. White concluded, "But it was a good job and it's not the store I'm going to miss, it's the people."

Copyright
Waldron H. Leard