Safeway
By Sam Ferguson, Production Manager, East Texas Journal
Mt. Pleasant Safeway in was built in 1958 at 1201 North Jefferson and West 12th, where Mason’s Hardware is now.
Customers could win portable TV sets, table radios and a mink stole at the November 10, 1958, Grand Opening of Safeway, said the MP Daily times.
“It features merchandising innovations designed for added shopper convenience,” promised Store Manager A. D. Petty.
There were 100 shopping baskets, each with a seat for a baby. It had 6,800 square feet devoted to sales space, and 4,000 for a stock room with 82 parking spaces.
The store featured a Safeway innovation – a frozen foods department which marked the first time the items had been departmentalized.
Included was a frozen food display on the east and south walls, plus two ice cream displays in the same area.
Next to frozen foods was the bakery goods section, featuring early American décor, and then the dairy section.
On the west side of the shopping area was a refrigerated section for fresh frozen fish, frozen poultry, and others for self-service meat counters. On the back of that was a meat cutting room where a 55-degree temperature was maintained.
Moving to the west side of the shopping area, the fruits and vegetable bins were arrayed.
Opposite the refrigerated vegetables section was the non-refrigerated dry produce display.
An electric cooler provided water for the customers. Along with a magazine rack and public telephones on the wall.
There were six check-out counters, each with a change-computing register. The six women working checkout comprised a third of the regular staff of 18. In addition, there were part-time employes, usually students who helped patrons take purchases to their cars.
Larry Talley was the grocery department manager; Howard W. Hudson, meat department manager, Arlon Buchanan, produce department manager.
Store Manager A. D. Petty was a 20-year veteran with Safeway. He became a manager in 1942, of the Safeway store that was located at North Jefferson and Fourth on the old Main Hotel lot. That store had its Grand Opening on December 1, 1941. J. O. Clayton was the owner, and it cost between twelve and fifteen thousand dollars to build. A newspaper ad highlighted “A New Streamlined Safeway for Mt. Pleasant, plenty of free parking.”
The store was one of the largest and finest equipped grocery establishments in Northeast Texas and compared favorably with any that could be found in Dallas, the MP Times said.
That Safeway was managed by Motaque Taylor, a native of Titus County, son of Mr. and Mrs. Walter B. Taylor.
The first Safeway to open in Mt. Pleasant was located on the East side of the square on May 24, 1935.
The man responsible for that store coming to Mt. Pleasant was C. P. Lunsford, a district manager of Safeway, and a native of Titus County. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Lunsford of the Center Grove community, and was in charge of all of his company’s stores in Northeast Texas.
That Safeway building had been completely remodeled and decorated by its owner, Mrs. T. B. Caldwell, to present a modern and up-to-date appearance.
It had a complete line of nationally known, and nationally advertised brands of foods. It carried a full line of fruits, vegetables and meats.
That Safeway was under the management of Roy Noles, with Horance Glosup in charge of the market department.
