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

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