New book that you want:

Beyond Piggly Wiggly

…and not just because I’m several footnotes and an acknowledgement in it. This one is really good and was written by a colleague of mine at UNCG. There will be a better review coming soon, but you can pre-order now. It drops on 1 August.

Newly added since last I bothered to update the front page:

Bloomington (Indiana) Chain Grocery/Supermarket Locations, 1929-2020

Kansas City Area, updated with the addition of:

Napa Valley Chain Grocery/Supermarket Locations, 1930-1979

Lancaster (Ohio) Chain Grocery/Supermarket Locations, 1925-2020

Springfield (Ohio) Chain Grocery/Supermarket Locations, 1925-2020

True North strong and free:

I’m off this weekend for some quality time in Canada. After a weeklong conference in Toronto, I’ll be going other places yet to be determined. This will be my first trip to Toronto post-pandemic (it’s usually an annual destination for me but I was thwarted by an early winter storm last year) and I am much excited, particularly following my big recent Toronto update. If you see me in Loblaws, say hello.

…the best sleeping pill on earth!

If you happen to be in the neighborhood next week:

High Point Historical Society Presents: Guilford County’s Grocery Store History
The High Point Historical Society will be hosting David Gwynn, librarian, urbanist, and retail historian at UNCG. As the creator of Groceteria.com, one of the first and largest websites devoted to supermarket history, Gwynn will speak on the history of grocery stores in Guilford County. Along with the program, the Historical Society is partnering with local grocery stores to sponsor a food drive to benefit D-Up. With every canned food donation, attendees will receive a raffle ticket to win local grocery store gift cards. Sponsors for the food drive include Food Lion, High Point Harris Teeters and The Fresh Market, all of whom have graciously donated gift cards for the raffle. Free and Open to the Public.

By the Book: NC Triad Beer History at Oden Brewing Co.
Join us as we launch a new year of By the Book programs with a special evening out at Oden Brewing Co. Local beer historians Richard Cox, David Gwynn and Erin Lawrimore narrate the history of the Triad brewing industry, from early Moravian communities to the operators of nineteenth-century saloons and from Big Beer factories to modern craft breweries. The authors cofounded Well Crafted NC (www.wellcraftednc.com), a project focused on documenting the history of beer and brewing in North Carolina through historical research, oral history interviews with industry professionals and the collection of records from modern craft breweries. After conversation and questions with authors, stick around for some Trivia Tuesday takeover at 7 pm. You’ll need your best knowledge of brewing facts and Greensboro history to compete!