Black and White Grocery
In the days before 7-11s and Macs, one shopped at local mom and pop owned corner stores located right in your own neighbourhood. They used to be everywhere, a place to pick up a jug of milk and loaf of bread on the way home from work. They were a magnet for kids who’d flock to buy candy, which sold like crazy. Lotto and smokes were also big sellers. In the old days meat and produce were offered but later on junk food filled the shelves.
Sadly few of these stores remain and Calgary is home to perhaps a handful. A recent loss is the Black and White Grocery seen here, built in the 1940s and located in the old community of Ramsay just east of downtown. It closed last year and now sits boarded up, its future uncertain.
In back of the store is a residence, assuring the store owners a short commute to work. This sort of arrangement was once common. The building is adorned with old coke signs another throwback to another time.
It only seems natural and fitting that given the store’s name (officially I understand Black and White Meat, Grocery and Confectionery) that it be shot in black and white. Of was that too expected?
Another old building in Calgary that was recently closed and boarded up…
Deutsch-Canadier (Eastern) Block.
Short Subjects: reports that for any number of reasons are brief in nature. They might be updates to older articles, previews of posts planned or not yet published, brief snippets of things that don’t fit in anywhere else or subjects that are so obscure that information on them can’t be found.
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Date of adventure: March, 2015.
Location: Calgary, AB.
All the places seen in this report are publicly accessible.
I lived up on scottsman hill and loved hanging outside the Black and White. There was another store on Spiller road affectionately called the Pinkie. 1960-1984
It’s amazing how many of these little family run corner stores there used to be. Thanks for commenting!
I used to live 1 block from this store and have fond memories of it from the early 60s. It’s a shame it has to go.
Wow, that’s cool. I don’t know if it’s doomed for certain, but it sure does appear as though it’s threatened. I could not find a development application.
I love these places. Totally makes a neighbourhood.
Indeed. I recall many neighbourhoods I lived in as kid had just such a store.