James Grocery
Family photo of James Grocery with (from left to right) my grandfather, father, and the stores namesake, Uncle James.
My paternal ancestors immigrated to the U.S. from Greece in the early 20th century, eventually landing in Utah. My grandfather and his three brothers made Salt Lake City home, with two of them (Uncle James and Grandpa Nick) eventually establishing the James Grocery on 620 East and 100 South in downtown Salt Lake. This is where my father was born and raised. As such, it has always held a special place in the family consciousness, in spite of the fact that its run as a grocery ended decades ago. The building still stands, virtually untouched in its design, and I have periodically driven by and thought that I should go in and introduce myself to whoever is inside and explain my family’s historical connection to the place.
Well, a couple of weeks ago something very happy and unexpected happened. I was contacted by a local real estate agent who recently purchased the old James Grocery and is running his business out of it. He has fallen completely in love with the building and was doing research on its history when he came across our family name. He reached out to me to try and find out all that he can about the building, and our family’s part in its history. As such, I have planned a trip with my mom to visit with him and tour the building later today! I plan on taking lots of pictures and putting together a future post documenting the store as it was, and as it is today.