46 | JUNE 25 • 2020
Looking Back
From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History
accessible at www.djnfoundation.org
More Supermarket History
I
wrote a “Looking Back”
this past April 10 about
the large Jewish-owned
supermarket chains in Detroit
that no longer
exist. Many
of us remem-
ber Chatham,
Farmer Jack,
Great Scott and
Wrigley. While
researching
this topic in
the William
Davidson Digital Archive
of Jewish Detroit History, I
also learned that Super-Sal,
the largest grocery chain in
Israel, was founded by Jewish
Detroiters.
Well, I’
m going to write
once again about supermar-
kets. They are interesting and
a vital link to our community.
Even during the current pan-
demic, we can all relate to our
local grocery stores since all
of us still need to eat!
In my previous “Looking
Back,” I mentioned that,
beyond the large companies,
there were, of course, smaller
chains as well as noteworthy
stand-alone grocery stores
like Dexter-Davidson and
Johnny Pomodoro’
s. In this
regard, I received several
interesting letters about other
Jewish-owned supermarkets.
Susan Salesin wrote about
her grandfather, Louis Dorb,
who owned a grocery store
from the 1900s to 1930s
— “Dorb’
s” — across from
the Michigan Central train
station on Michigan Avenue
in Detroit. Unfortunately, I
could not find any informa-
tion in the Davidson Archive
about Dorb’
s, but I certainly
appreciate knowing this his-
tory.
I had better luck finding a
bit of information on “B and
C Markets.” I must admit that
I did not know about this
small chain of supermarkets
until receiving a letter from
Ruth Chodoroff Newman.
Her grandfather, Joseph
Newman, his brother, Peter,
and Max Bachman, opened
their first “Bachman and
Chodoroff Market” in Detroit
in the 1920s. A decade later,
there were two B and C
Markets in Detroit and two in
Royal Oak. The chain peaked
in 1950 when there were six
stores but, by 1954, the two
markets in Detroit had closed.
The last market closed in the
1960s.
By the way, B and C
Markets still has a presence
today. Its headquarters build-
ing, which opened in 1940 at
417 S. Main St., Royal Oak,
is still in use today. This
information can be found on
Wikipedia.
Other letters reminded
me about another small, but
very popular, chain of Jewish-
owned markets: Hiller’
s.
Sidney Hiller opened his first
store in 1941 under the name
of “Shopping Center Market.”
It was well-stocked with food
the Jewish community craved.
Before the seven-store chain
was sold to Kroger in 2015,
Sidney’
s son, Jim, was Hiller’
s
CEO. There is an excellent
story in the May 15,
2008, issue of the
JN about Hiller’
s
Markets.
It should also be
noted that, Bachman,
the Chodoroffs and
Hillers all contribut-
ed to Detroit Jewish
organizations and
were supporters of
Israel.
In particular, I recommend
you read Jim Hiller’
s letter in
the April 6, 2004, issue of the
JN. He and his markets were
experiencing a great deal of
threats and protests because
Hiller himself openly sup-
ported Israel. The letter
is a worthy read, a
demonstration of
personal fortitude
and conviction of
principles in the
face of anti-Semi-
tism.
We may miss
shopping at these
markets, but it is
good to know that
they and their shop-
pers played an import-
ant role in the history of
Detroit’
s Jewish
community.
Want to learn more? Go to the
DJN Foundation archives, avail-
able for free at www.djnfounda-
tion.org.
Mike Smith
Alene and
Graham Landau
Archivist Chair
n,
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commen
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letter
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