CINCINNATI

Last Sunday I dropped a little note about the Kroger Company in this slot.   They are a proud product of the Queen City.  This week, I'll offer a little related side-story.

When I grew up in Norwood in the 1940s and 50s, the grocery marketplace wasn't so dominated by single chains.  We had corner stores in every neighborhood  In that era, most wives were home all day but few had a car to do shopping.  My mom sometimes shopped two blocks away at a family owned store on the corner of Cathedral and Carthage Avenues called Zentmeyer's Market.  There was a very small grocer nearer to us on Carthage for immediate needs. We often dealt with Naberhaus Food Market in West Norwood that delivered food directly to our house and carried it right into your kitchen.  How convenient - how 1950s.

I think there were Kroger stores in three locations in Norwood.  Some of the family owned stores belonged to the IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance).   There was a big A&P store.

The Albers Store that opened up near the Norwood city center is an interesting one.  You see, the Albers stores were founded in 1933 by William Henry Albers.  Albers was not only from Cincinnati but a past president of the Kroger Co.  He called his store a "super market" - the first in the country to use that name.  Albers also was first to label every product with it's price.

These Albers stores were eventually purchased by Colonial Stores as consolidation in the industry took place.  Today, that trend continues and is moving into a phase of delivered groceries.  What once was here is here again.