Comments on: National Supermarkets

By: SLUGirl

SLUGirl — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:35:41 +0000

1987? Actually I was 12

By: SLUGirl

SLUGirl — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:34:00 +0000

I will always remember Nationals Supermarket; especially the National Supermarket on Natural Bridge Road.
I remember being a young bright-eyed county girl who used to visit her cousins in the city during the summer. I met a boy in the neighborhood whom they used to call white Mike due to his fair complexion as an African American teenager. I could tell he was extremely shy and so was I but my cousin and his friend tried to get us to kiss under a light pole one steamy summer night.
I cannot say if he liked me but I was absolutely in love with him. I think it was love. I was only ten and he had to be sixteen. When I think about it, he may have been wondered, “Who is this little girl with a crush on me, I wish she would go away”.
My cousin and I walked up to National Supermarket on Natural Bridge so her little cousin could visit her crush at work. I saw him and he blushed the whole time I was there.
It was the end of summer so I regretted going back to school because I lived in the county and he lived in the city. How would we be able to see each other? I was a little upset because the family reunion was the following weekend and I would not be able to see him for a few days.
My family and I headed off to the family reunion over Labor Day weekend. I thought about him the whole time. What was he doing? What would I say to him when I returned? I was so happy.
When I returned from the reunion, I was just about to pick up the phone and call my cousin to see if she spoke with him while I was away. I heard the phone ring and my cousin told me he was dead. He was killed in a shooting at the store.
My heart was crushed. I think I cried the whole day and a few days afterwards. I often think about ‘what could have been’. I heard on the news he wanted to be a doctor. WOW!
I can still see his face looking down at me with the biggest smile and reddest cheeks. Sometimes I have dreams about our life if the shootings didn’t happen. We both graduated from college. He would have been a doctor and I a lawyer. What if

By: steve zielinski

steve zielinski — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:48:02 +0000

His name was Tom Lewis and at one time he did commercials for Falstaff beer.

By: Steve Zielinski

Steve Zielinski — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:46:23 +0000

Pat, it has been a very long time. I wonder what you are doing now?

By: Steve Zielinski

Steve Zielinski — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:44:29 +0000

Store 55 in Rolla Mo. I was co manager there when it opened in 1976. It is now an independent supermarket.

By: Steve Zielinski

Steve Zielinski — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 08:43:30 +0000

Store 38 Bel Acres 8925 Page. My first store I worked at and the first store I became a store manager at. Don Holmes was the store manager, the Bob Brown, then Joe Bertel. Great memories there. It is now a resale shop.

By: robertb40

robertb40 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 10:25:53 +0000

I used to shop at the National store on Caseyville Ave in Washington Park before it closed, very convenient as our house was two blocks up the street on 47th. Unfortunately, the store is no more as it burned down in a suspicious fire about four months ago. We left the area in 2000, and I now live in Texas. Such a shame that a great icon of grocery shopping is now gone forever.

By: robertb40

robertb40 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 04:25:53 +0000

By: Richard Garrett

Richard Garrett — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:13:17 +0000

I remember the National store in the Village Square shopping center in Hazelwood when I was a kid. The family shopped there frequently and I have fond memories of that store. It really did serve the neighborhood.

By: Wayne Masters

Wayne Masters — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:16:46 +0000

I grew up in Buffalo, and our “Loblaws spinoff” was Bells Markets. Bells carried both Presidents Choice and National Brand. Not sure about National Markets in St Louis, but Bells distribution centre was Peter J Schmidt/Sunfresh in West Seneca, NY. Of course all Presidents Choice products were made in Ontario. One interesting “factoid”, in Erie, PA – they had 7 Loblaws stores – actually operating under the Loblaw name. Bells Markets in Buffalo and Loblaws in Erie both folded about the same time National folded in St Louis – around 1999 or 2000. Bells and Loblaws were both bought out by Penn Traffic in Syracuse and operate under the name “Quality Markets” – http://www.qualitymarkets.com – One more interesting factoid – if you're ever in Erie, PA – the Quality Market on Peach St @ Liberty Plaza (formerly a Loblaws) the building still has the typical Loblaws “L” built into the building design on the left side of the store – this can be seen on Google Maps (3700 Liberty St Erie, PA 16508).