HOLDRIDGE GROCERY

     H.B. Holdridge initially opened a grocery and blacksmith shop in Archie town in 1923 at the intersection of what is now the Sipe Springs Highway and Cato.  In addition to Texas & Pacific Gasoline, Holdridges sold work clothes, feed, flour, and auto parts.  His sons Carver, Marvin and W.C.  worked at that store.  He later added Sam Short to run the blacksmith shop.  He said that Short was the “best blacksmith who ever drove a nail in a horse’s hoof.”  Marvin ran the feed mill at the Archie Town store.

    When Melvin and Lee became adults a second store was opened in May 1929 in the Ayers building at Texas and Reynosa which they ran.  It sold groceries and feed.

      On January 16, 1948, Holdridges opened in a new building at Texas and the Sipe Springs highway.  It was a Clover Farm franchise and featured such new things as shopping carts.  The top basket of the cart and its contents could be lifted off for home delivery.

     That building burned in the 1980’s and was replaced by the structure now standing on that site located opposite the Methodist Church.

Above:  the Archie Town store.  Notice that the store sold Texaco gasoline in the left photo and Texas and Pacific in the right.

Holdridges

Left:  The store just after completion.  Notice the parking lot has not been paved.  Also notice the half moon entrance doors.  Right:  Students posing for a picture for an ad in the De Leonian.  You can see the first shopping carts in De Leon in the checkout stands.  One of the Holdridge brothers believed to be Melvin, is the taller individual in the white shirt in the left stand.  I can tell you it for sure is not Fred, Marvin or Lee Holdridge.

Left:  The store in the Ayers Building.  Right:  North side of the Ayers Building.  Notice there is no city hall on the left side of the photo but there is what appears to be the framework of a protective barrier used in construction.  The photo was probably made in 1938.