Remembering Smitty's
I am a member of the "Remembering Retail" group on Yahoo! Recently a member of the group posted pictures of a newly remodeled Fred Meyer store in the Seattle area, which sparked a lively discussion. I will spare you the details of this discussion, as most of them would probably be unfamiliar to those who are not retail junkies, but I would like to share a contribution to the discussion I made today. I wanted to remember a retail chain that is very close to my heart.
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--- In remembering_retail@yahoogroups.com, "storewanderer" wrote:
> Kroger has a lot of gems on their hands. It is just a question of
> bringing them together to work well. Frys and Fred Meyer have worked
> very successfully together since the failed Fred Meyer entry into
> Phoenix and they have opened a couple new Frys Marketplace Stores this
> year alone. I believe they have close to 20 Frys Marketplace Stores in
> metro Phoenix now.
>
> One full size Fred Meyer was built in Phoenix but never opened. Kroger
> cancelled the grand opening. The building was demolished.
Most of today's Fry's Marketplace stores were Smitty's stores, a homegrown chain of multi-department "supercenters" that was briefly absorbed into Fred Meyer. I'd like to take some time to remember Smitty's, which operated in Phoenix from 1964 to 1999.
I worked at Smitty's #7 (northwest corner of Baseline Road and McClintock Drive in Tempe) part-time from June 1994 to August 1997, then only during summer and winter breaks from college until January 1999. I witnessed a lot of changes in these years that foretold the end of the chain.
The first "Smitty's Big Town" opened at the southwest corner of Buckeye Road and 16th Street and was a large supermarket but not a true "supercenter” (it was later sold to Southwest Supermarkets, now it’s closed).
The second Smitty's opened at the northwest corner of McDowell Road and Granite Reef Road in a former discount department store. Smitty's "supercenter" mix of food and department store merchandise was first executed here (it was briefly a Smith’s – see below – then closed and demolished).
Smitty's continued to open stores at a rapid clip until the late 1970's, most of them "supercenters" in excess of 100,000 square feet. These stores included: a full supermarket with service meat, deli, bakery, and produce; liquor; health and beauty aids; pharmacy; domestics; housewares; furniture; men's, women's, and children's clothing; shoes; jewelry; toys; books; photo and electronics; cosmetics; hardware; automotive; lawn and garden; a full-service branch bank; a barber shop; a beauty salon; a restaurant; a snack bar; and a candy counter. The chain was agressive in the fast-growing suburbs, fending off competition. Smitty's was the undisputed #1 market leader for a long time.
In 1980 Clyde Smith sold Smitty's to a Canadian retailer, Steinberg. Long-time cashiers I worked with shared how the sale of the chain to a foreign company bothered customers in Phoenix, some of whom threatened to stop patronizing the stores.
Smitty's held on in the 1980's but began to lose ground by 1989. Steinberg's struggles in Canada deprived Smitty's of capital to expand and/or renovate existing stores. In the 1980's, Fry's, which had become part of Kroger, expanded or relocated many of its stores into large "food-drug combo units" and was aggressive about "following rooftops" in the suburbs. Smitty's other competitors in the late 1980's were Safeway, ABCO (a combination of former Alpha-Beta and Lucky stores in AZ), homegrown chain A.J. Bayless, homegrown chain Bashas', and the new warehouse-style chain, Megafoods. Albertsons and Smith's both entered the market in 1989, making Phoenix one of the most competitive grocery markets in the country. Smitty's fell to #2 behind Fry's.
Smitty's began to open new stores again before late 1994, when Steinberg sold it to The Yucaipa Cos. Yucaipa also acquired Ralphs in Southern California soon after. Yucaipa embarked on a remodeling and rebranding effort. The original Smitty's logo from 1962 was replaced with a red-white-and-blue logo to signal that the stores were back under American ownership. The store remodels were largely face-lifts, but in most instances GM sections were cut in favor of more grocery merchandise (Levi's jeans were dropped at this point).
In 1995, Yucaipa sold the reinvigorated Smitty's to Smith's Food and Drug. Smith's was reeling from its disastrous attempt to move into Southern California, and the merger allowed Yucaipa Cos. to take control of Smith's. The merger made for odd bedfellows: Smith's was #4 in the market (impressive considering it had only entered in 1989) and operated newer conventional "food-drug combos" in the 50K square foot range. Smitty's, on the other hand, was a distant #2 behind Fry's and operated older "supercenters" in the 100K square foot range. Smith's decided to keep the Smitty's name and format. Smith's private label products were placed on Smitty's shelves, and the grocery ads were combined. Smitty's did continue to have a seperate ad for its GM selection, however.
Smitty's employees resented that their stores were equipped with the "hand-me-downs" from the aborted Smith’s California division. The Smith's registers, computers, and other store equipment placed in Smitty's stores were obviously used did not function well. Working in the video rental department in 1996, I learned that most of our videotapes had come from stores in places like Santee and Corona.
In 1997, Yucaipa Cos. sold Smith's to Fred Meyer (it also sold Ralphs to Fred Meyer soon after and gained a controlling interest in the company). Fred Meyer saw opportunity in Smitty's and decided to tilt the chain more upscale and to reinvigorate the GM selection. 2 stores were remodeled into the new "Smitty's Marketplace" format in 1997, with the rest converted in the following 2 years. Smitty's was given another new logo; this one had a more "southerwestern" feel. The stores were far more extensively remodeled than they had been by Yucaipa a couple years earlier. The restaurants and snack bars, sadly, were closed at this time - they were replaced with indoor/outdoor garden centers (the outdoor portion usually taken from restaurant-adjacent parking).
According to long-time cashiers I worked with, Fred Meyer had seriously considered buying Smitty's several times over the years. Fred Meyer was obviously pleased at the results at the "Smitty's Marketplace" stores and saw room for future growth in the fast-growing city. Early in 1999, Fred Meyer absorbed Smitty's.
Smitty's had always been different from Fred Meyer: its stores were smaller, less "upscale," and had a more limited GM mix. In recognition of this fact, Fred Meyer renamed all Smitty's Marketplace stores "Fred Meyer Marketplace" and announced plans to build full-scale stores that would be known simply as "Fred Meyer." It was certainly a risk to replace a venerable Phoenix name with a banner no one had heard of, but Smitty's identity had become too blurred. Consider that Smitty's had operated under 4 different owners in 5 years, under 3 different logos in 5 years, and all its stores had been remodeled twice in 5 years. Fred Meyer felt a name change would reflect how much the stores and merchandise had changed (for the better).
The first full-scale Fred Meyer was planned for the northeast corner of Bethany Home Road and 35th Avenue, next-door to an older Smitty's that hadn't been remodeled into the "Marketplace" format. The store was partially built but never opened, and the Fred Meyer name is now long gone from the Phoenix retail landscape.
In 1999, Yucaipa Cos. sold Fred Meyer to Kroger. One of the selling points of the merger was the limited overlap between the two companies - the only market where they overlapped extensively was Phoenix. In Phoenix, Fred Meyer owned its namesake stores and the Smith's Food and Drug units, while Kroger owned Fry's, which mostly operated "food-drug combos" by this point.
By early 2000, Kroger had made some decisions about Phoenix. Most Smith's stores in Arizona were converted to Fry's units (Smith's, of course, continues to operate elsewhere). This was a smart move, considering that the Fry's name had operated in the market far longer and had an excellent reputation. Additionally, Fred Meyer's move into Arizona was stopped; the Fred Meyer Marketplace stores became Fry's Marketplace stores. Kroger preferred to operate its Arizona "supercenters" under a trusted local name while continuing to rely on Fred Meyer for its GM strategy. The full-scale Fred Meyer stores were unceremoniously dropped. For a long time, Arizona’s first Fred Meyer store (partially built, never opened) stood next to the Smitty's it was meant to replace - it too was abandoned. These 2 empty shells were replaced by a Wal-Mart Supercenter. This is appropriate because Kroger was probably afraid to have the Phoenix full-scale Fred Meyer stores compete against the growing number of Wal-Mart Supercenters in Arizona.
Some "new" Fry's Marketplace stores have opened, but they are nothing like Fred Meyer stores, nor are they like the Fry's Marketplace stores that are former Smitty's. They are larger than a combo but smaller than a supercenter (80K square feet or so). There is a good amount of GM, mainly housewares, small electrics, furniture, and garden - these stores are oriented towards the "Arizona lifestyle" and therefore emphasize "home and garden" as opposed to the full range of GM that Fred Meyer had planned to unleash on Phoenix.
The Smitty's story shows that Kroger has no intention of expanding Fred Meyer into new markets (the recent conversion of Fred Meyer stores in Utah to "Smith's Marketplace" units demonstrates this). Kroger does not intend to open Fred Meyer-like stores under other banners, either. Instead, Kroger is focusing on the "Marketplace" concept, larger than a "combo food-drug" but far smaller than a "supercenter." Kroger realizes it can't compete with Wal-Mart Supercenters and SuperTarget; it wants to offer something different, drawing on the GM strengths of Fred Meyer, the acquisition and distribution strengths of the nation's largest supermarket chain, and the loyalty strengths of homegrown store banners. Ralphs and Fry's, for example, have a lot of Kroger private label products, but Kroger sees no need to change the names on the front of the stores to match the products. Kroger is taking a very smart approach, learning what it can from Fred Meyer to make its grocery chains more competitive against Wal-Mart.
> Kroger has a lot of gems on their hands. It is just a question of
> bringing them together to work well. Frys and Fred Meyer have worked
> very successfully together since the failed Fred Meyer entry into
> Phoenix and they have opened a couple new Frys Marketplace Stores this
> year alone. I believe they have close to 20 Frys Marketplace Stores in
> metro Phoenix now.
>
> One full size Fred Meyer was built in Phoenix but never opened. Kroger
> cancelled the grand opening. The building was demolished.
Most of today's Fry's Marketplace stores were Smitty's stores, a homegrown chain of multi-department "supercenters" that was briefly absorbed into Fred Meyer. I'd like to take some time to remember Smitty's, which operated in Phoenix from 1964 to 1999.
I worked at Smitty's #7 (northwest corner of Baseline Road and McClintock Drive in Tempe) part-time from June 1994 to August 1997, then only during summer and winter breaks from college until January 1999. I witnessed a lot of changes in these years that foretold the end of the chain.
The first "Smitty's Big Town" opened at the southwest corner of Buckeye Road and 16th Street and was a large supermarket but not a true "supercenter” (it was later sold to Southwest Supermarkets, now it’s closed).
The second Smitty's opened at the northwest corner of McDowell Road and Granite Reef Road in a former discount department store. Smitty's "supercenter" mix of food and department store merchandise was first executed here (it was briefly a Smith’s – see below – then closed and demolished).
Smitty's continued to open stores at a rapid clip until the late 1970's, most of them "supercenters" in excess of 100,000 square feet. These stores included: a full supermarket with service meat, deli, bakery, and produce; liquor; health and beauty aids; pharmacy; domestics; housewares; furniture; men's, women's, and children's clothing; shoes; jewelry; toys; books; photo and electronics; cosmetics; hardware; automotive; lawn and garden; a full-service branch bank; a barber shop; a beauty salon; a restaurant; a snack bar; and a candy counter. The chain was agressive in the fast-growing suburbs, fending off competition. Smitty's was the undisputed #1 market leader for a long time.
In 1980 Clyde Smith sold Smitty's to a Canadian retailer, Steinberg. Long-time cashiers I worked with shared how the sale of the chain to a foreign company bothered customers in Phoenix, some of whom threatened to stop patronizing the stores.
Smitty's held on in the 1980's but began to lose ground by 1989. Steinberg's struggles in Canada deprived Smitty's of capital to expand and/or renovate existing stores. In the 1980's, Fry's, which had become part of Kroger, expanded or relocated many of its stores into large "food-drug combo units" and was aggressive about "following rooftops" in the suburbs. Smitty's other competitors in the late 1980's were Safeway, ABCO (a combination of former Alpha-Beta and Lucky stores in AZ), homegrown chain A.J. Bayless, homegrown chain Bashas', and the new warehouse-style chain, Megafoods. Albertsons and Smith's both entered the market in 1989, making Phoenix one of the most competitive grocery markets in the country. Smitty's fell to #2 behind Fry's.
Smitty's began to open new stores again before late 1994, when Steinberg sold it to The Yucaipa Cos. Yucaipa also acquired Ralphs in Southern California soon after. Yucaipa embarked on a remodeling and rebranding effort. The original Smitty's logo from 1962 was replaced with a red-white-and-blue logo to signal that the stores were back under American ownership. The store remodels were largely face-lifts, but in most instances GM sections were cut in favor of more grocery merchandise (Levi's jeans were dropped at this point).
In 1995, Yucaipa sold the reinvigorated Smitty's to Smith's Food and Drug. Smith's was reeling from its disastrous attempt to move into Southern California, and the merger allowed Yucaipa Cos. to take control of Smith's. The merger made for odd bedfellows: Smith's was #4 in the market (impressive considering it had only entered in 1989) and operated newer conventional "food-drug combos" in the 50K square foot range. Smitty's, on the other hand, was a distant #2 behind Fry's and operated older "supercenters" in the 100K square foot range. Smith's decided to keep the Smitty's name and format. Smith's private label products were placed on Smitty's shelves, and the grocery ads were combined. Smitty's did continue to have a seperate ad for its GM selection, however.
Smitty's employees resented that their stores were equipped with the "hand-me-downs" from the aborted Smith’s California division. The Smith's registers, computers, and other store equipment placed in Smitty's stores were obviously used did not function well. Working in the video rental department in 1996, I learned that most of our videotapes had come from stores in places like Santee and Corona.
In 1997, Yucaipa Cos. sold Smith's to Fred Meyer (it also sold Ralphs to Fred Meyer soon after and gained a controlling interest in the company). Fred Meyer saw opportunity in Smitty's and decided to tilt the chain more upscale and to reinvigorate the GM selection. 2 stores were remodeled into the new "Smitty's Marketplace" format in 1997, with the rest converted in the following 2 years. Smitty's was given another new logo; this one had a more "southerwestern" feel. The stores were far more extensively remodeled than they had been by Yucaipa a couple years earlier. The restaurants and snack bars, sadly, were closed at this time - they were replaced with indoor/outdoor garden centers (the outdoor portion usually taken from restaurant-adjacent parking).
According to long-time cashiers I worked with, Fred Meyer had seriously considered buying Smitty's several times over the years. Fred Meyer was obviously pleased at the results at the "Smitty's Marketplace" stores and saw room for future growth in the fast-growing city. Early in 1999, Fred Meyer absorbed Smitty's.
Smitty's had always been different from Fred Meyer: its stores were smaller, less "upscale," and had a more limited GM mix. In recognition of this fact, Fred Meyer renamed all Smitty's Marketplace stores "Fred Meyer Marketplace" and announced plans to build full-scale stores that would be known simply as "Fred Meyer." It was certainly a risk to replace a venerable Phoenix name with a banner no one had heard of, but Smitty's identity had become too blurred. Consider that Smitty's had operated under 4 different owners in 5 years, under 3 different logos in 5 years, and all its stores had been remodeled twice in 5 years. Fred Meyer felt a name change would reflect how much the stores and merchandise had changed (for the better).
The first full-scale Fred Meyer was planned for the northeast corner of Bethany Home Road and 35th Avenue, next-door to an older Smitty's that hadn't been remodeled into the "Marketplace" format. The store was partially built but never opened, and the Fred Meyer name is now long gone from the Phoenix retail landscape.
In 1999, Yucaipa Cos. sold Fred Meyer to Kroger. One of the selling points of the merger was the limited overlap between the two companies - the only market where they overlapped extensively was Phoenix. In Phoenix, Fred Meyer owned its namesake stores and the Smith's Food and Drug units, while Kroger owned Fry's, which mostly operated "food-drug combos" by this point.
By early 2000, Kroger had made some decisions about Phoenix. Most Smith's stores in Arizona were converted to Fry's units (Smith's, of course, continues to operate elsewhere). This was a smart move, considering that the Fry's name had operated in the market far longer and had an excellent reputation. Additionally, Fred Meyer's move into Arizona was stopped; the Fred Meyer Marketplace stores became Fry's Marketplace stores. Kroger preferred to operate its Arizona "supercenters" under a trusted local name while continuing to rely on Fred Meyer for its GM strategy. The full-scale Fred Meyer stores were unceremoniously dropped. For a long time, Arizona’s first Fred Meyer store (partially built, never opened) stood next to the Smitty's it was meant to replace - it too was abandoned. These 2 empty shells were replaced by a Wal-Mart Supercenter. This is appropriate because Kroger was probably afraid to have the Phoenix full-scale Fred Meyer stores compete against the growing number of Wal-Mart Supercenters in Arizona.
Some "new" Fry's Marketplace stores have opened, but they are nothing like Fred Meyer stores, nor are they like the Fry's Marketplace stores that are former Smitty's. They are larger than a combo but smaller than a supercenter (80K square feet or so). There is a good amount of GM, mainly housewares, small electrics, furniture, and garden - these stores are oriented towards the "Arizona lifestyle" and therefore emphasize "home and garden" as opposed to the full range of GM that Fred Meyer had planned to unleash on Phoenix.
The Smitty's story shows that Kroger has no intention of expanding Fred Meyer into new markets (the recent conversion of Fred Meyer stores in Utah to "Smith's Marketplace" units demonstrates this). Kroger does not intend to open Fred Meyer-like stores under other banners, either. Instead, Kroger is focusing on the "Marketplace" concept, larger than a "combo food-drug" but far smaller than a "supercenter." Kroger realizes it can't compete with Wal-Mart Supercenters and SuperTarget; it wants to offer something different, drawing on the GM strengths of Fred Meyer, the acquisition and distribution strengths of the nation's largest supermarket chain, and the loyalty strengths of homegrown store banners. Ralphs and Fry's, for example, have a lot of Kroger private label products, but Kroger sees no need to change the names on the front of the stores to match the products. Kroger is taking a very smart approach, learning what it can from Fred Meyer to make its grocery chains more competitive against Wal-Mart.
posted by Mitch Glaser @ 2:06 PM
81 comments
81 Comments:
Smitty's restaurants have been sorely missed...........it was a gathering place for the retirees or otherwise idle souls in the neighborhoods, someplace where someone reconized and rememebered you.A place where you were sure to run into one of your neighbors or recognize a face from one of your familiar haunts close to home. Fry's Marketplace's have done a fine job of replacing the void left by Smitty's; too bad about the loss of the restaurants.
Kroger's a good company. In the face of major competition, it has been able to hold its own niche in the marketplace.
I hated those restaurants.
My wife worked in one and had numerous affairs with people who worked at Smitty's. All grocery stores are breeding grounds for people to sleep around with each other. I worked for a major DSD company and to hear all the stories of who slept with who and then so and so. Im only glad I never had to work at a grocery store. Steve,Danny,Marvin....Im looking for YOU!!!!
I've worked at Smitty's(Smiths,Fred Meyers, Fry's et all) for 31 years. I've witnessed the changes through the years. If you can't evolve, you die. There are still a lot of the "old-timers" left on duty. As we were sold from time to time, they just sold groups of people as we all held on and just changed the logo on our nametags. It's been quite a ride and most of the companies have been good the "good" employees. Our worst enemy now is WALMART. God save the U.S. from this creeping distructive giant!!
Smith's Marketplace in Utah has been an interesting transition... it allowed Kroger to raise grocery prices to those matching their regular Smith's Food & Drug stores here in the state.
It's also sad they closed so many Fred Meyer stores. It's a lot harder to find one when you need it now...
Stores got a "face lift" but the only one to see major improvements was the "Valley St." store on the east bench - they merged the nearby Smith's supermarket staff into the store.
Others had a few additions to the grocery departments (but not at the expense of other floor space/merchandise). The stores are still very much "Fred Meyer" just not under that banner.
What I really miss is Smitty's frosting and cakes. No other market seems to match the recipie and it is quite a shame that it will be lost forever unless we comehow get the recipie and make them at home.
How cool that I found this website. I was just reminiscing about my youth in Mesa and how much I miss grocery shopping with my mom at Smitty's. That was such a great store, and we always got a slice of their hot pizza before shopping. One summer, we had just left Price Club and were almost to Smitty's to have pizza, and we had a major car accident in the intersection right in front of Smitty's. I couldn't eat for hours because I was first trapped in the car and then at the hospital getting put back together. Smitty's was a huge part of growing up in Mesa and Tempe! I haven't lived in Arizona for 23 years so I was just wondering if they were still around. Sorry they're not!
Apparently Fry's is intent on expanding the Marketplace format - new stores have opened in places like Buckeye and Maricopa. Yet two of the former Smitty's/Fry's Mktplace stores have been converted into regular Fry's stores.
As for Smitty's, the name and original blue logo are still alive - in Missouri. Apparently Clyde Smith licensed the name and format to other operators.
http://www.myrpcs.com/
I worked at Smitty's at Greenfield and Main in Mesa first as a courtesy clerk, then in produce, from 1993 to 1995 mainly during the busy snowbird season, from oct to April. I was going to college at the time. I also did produce for a few days at baseline and gilbert store, and also a store at Country Club and broadway , all in Mesa. The one at Country club was an old original smitty's, but it was just a grocery store. Very small.
I remeber that store when I first came to AZ in 1985. I remember thinking how different Smitty's was from stores in Chicago. My dad always liked the restaurant. Actually I have heard from many people say they missed the restaurant.
Decent place to work, had some good friends there. Although I never slept with any employees! darn..
Tom
I thought the first Smitty's was on south Central in Phoenix.
I worked at Smittys from 1970 - 1980. These were the growing years. I worked in the office which was the second floor of the Smitty's #2 on McDowell in Scottsdale. What fun that was. I was just a kid, but I learned so much. My boss was Bob Brower the the personnal director was Mike Gantt.
We moved to a new office on McClintock just south of Main St. in Tempe. Eventually that got too crowded. But when we were there we got to know the Smith brothers, Clyde, Swede and Doug. They came from Marshalltown, IA. The motto at that time was "Where ma saves pa's dough".
It was so much fun to work with the Smith brothers. I remember sampling alot of foods and Swede would always say "we took the calories out"
Clyde Smith's daughters were around. I remember Linda was a runner bringing things back from the stores to the office. She was very friendly. Tom was his son in law, he was a really nice guy. I think he became the general manager.
After 5 years I transferred to #7 on Baseline and McClintock. I wanted to do something different. I worked in Sales Audit.
In response to a Smitty's being a breeding ground for people to sleep with each other, that's so silly. If a person is apt to sleep aroung she/he will do it any where. We socialized together. Why not? We were young and single. Who else would we hang around with.
As for the end of Smitty's I heard a different story from friends who worked there for a long time until the end.
I left AZ in 1980 and when I moved back in 1990 we came to Tucson. Within a few years Smittys came to Tucson. What a huge treat. There never was a store like Smittys. I was anxiously awaiting the Smittys that was going to built on my side of town, the southwest side of Tucson.
Then everything stopped. There was a very unfortunate incident at a Smittys in Phoenix. In trying to aprehend a shoplifter, he died. From my the info I learned from people who know, that was the beginnig of the end for Smittys. The company who owned Smittys at the time were'nt interested in fighting for the store and so pretty instantly the stores died. I can't deny anthing the author of the original said, because that was the very first time I heard that story. I know that Smitty's was a family owned company with a very people friendly attitude.
As far as the Smitty's in MO. I know that was started by 3 managers from AZ who moved there and wanted to start a store based on the Smitty's that they worked in and loved. One of the 3 was my former boss, Bob Brower. I also knew a coupld of other manager type people who relocated there.
I remember when Smitty's first came to Tucson, I was there one day and saw one of the managers I knew. I didn't approach him, becaue I didn't know if he'd remember be. Plus I thought that the store would be there for ever.
I also heard that when Tom Hinkley died, who was Clyde Smith's son in law, that helped to end the spirit of Smittys.
When I got married my wedding cake from Smittys. I have never since found a bakery that could come close to Smitty.
I was always proud to work for Smittys and I still am.
Pam Humphreys Lambert
Myself and my ex-wife met while employed at Smitty's('79-'83) and let me tell you, the sleeping around does not end after your Smitty's career does. Anyway, it was a fun place to work, still have friends I keep in touch with. And those military style men's haircuts were fashionably cool in the late '70s, early 80's.
My dad, John Trottier, left Smitty's in the early '90s. He was a store manager at several different stores, then district manager, then finally VP of Store Operations before he left.
My dad and mom met at Smitty's and most of my aunts and uncles worked there. In fact, my uncle Dave Trottier started the Smitty's of Missouri Pam mentioned.
I had my first haircut in the barber shop in #2 on McDowell from Bennie (sp?). I remember seeing the Motorola building with the blue glass on the south side of McDowell as a kid and thinking it was some kind of spy headquarters.
Here are some random memories:
The meeting room in the back of some of the restaurants I never got to go into... the snack bar... the chandelier at #13 on Mill... the strange placement of the Country Club store... the massive, elaborate displays... the shoe department... hiding from my mom in the clothes racks... the office at the front of the stores with the picture of Clyde... Tom Hinkley's death... Ladmo working for Smitty's... Jan D'Atre's TV commercials... the lady who was killed at #24 in Gilbert...
When my Dad left, he tried and failed to start a new store in St. Louis. He eventually got a job as a store manager in a Smitty's of Missouri store. Despite getting purchased by Albertson's, then Remey-Pricecutter, they kept the Smitty's name on a couple of stores, so he still works at a Smitty's store today.
I have many happy memories of those Smitty's stores here in the valley. They had then what Wal-Mart Supercenters have now, but with customer service that made people happy and loyal. It's too bad we lost them.
This is all very interesting. In 1970, my parents and I moved from Phoenix to Marshalltown, Iowa, a town of 26,000 people. In Phoenix, my mom had been shopping at Smitty's Big Town. In Marshalltown, she began shopping at a grocery store with the same name. One day she asked one of the managers whether the stores were related. He said yes and then proceeded to explain that Marshalltown and Phoenix were the only locations of Smitty's Big Town stores--and the Marshalltown store came first. She was surprised, needless to say. The Marshalltown store was smaller than the Smitty's stores in Phoenix. It was a more of a traditional store--just groceries and a coffee shop. But it was by far the nicest grocery store in Marshalltown at that time. When I returned to Arizona six years ago, I was happy to see that Bashas was still going strong, but sad to see that Smitty's and all the other great local chains were history.
I worked at most of the west side Smitty's stores as an electronics mgr/asst store mgr. I have read the comments on sleeping around and partying and i can tell you... it was true. Actually quite notorious most of the time. I worked with Cecil Evans, John Smith, Jon Snyder, and did a turn in the buying office on 7th St. Had many relationships and almost got married, it was just your life, and Smitty's was the place. After the sell to Canada, they got rid of most of the management, I stayed on another year until it got ridiculous, but I wont ever forget any of it. Dave Herman, where are you?
There used to be several Smitty's stores in Springfield, Missouri, complete with restaurants -- sadly, they have all closed now, and a couple have been replaced by the local Ramey/Price Cutter chain. One on East Battlefield St. still has a restaurant; the West Battlefield location is abandoned, and the Glenstone store is now a training building for a local bank. There was a Smitty's in Waynesville, MO, about 80 miles northeast of Spfld. on I-44 near Ft. Leonard Wood, but I'm not sure if it's still open.
I remember the Smitty's at 35th and Peoria in PHX; my grandparents lived over by Metrocenter and my grandfather would have breakfast at Smitty's every morning -- "comfort food". It was a nice store, from what I remember, and fairly close.
I worked at the Smitty's on Granite Reef & McDowell...from about '85 to '90. I worked in the restaurant and snack bar talk about fooling around in the walk in. Lot of good memories. Weird to see that corner now. No signs of a Smitty's ever being there.
I worked at the Smitty's store at Cave Creek Rd & Hatcher when it opened in 1973. i remember the football game we played against store #2 on Thanksgiving Day 1973. It was a rainy day and most of ended up getting severe colds, with one guy from store #2 breaking his nose after getting tackled in the mud. I miss the coffee shops & bakeries. Now all the in store bakeries with an exception on a few really suck here in the Phoenix area.
I was at that football game in 1973. Those were some good times.
It was sad to see Smittys go to heck after Clyde was out of the picture.
I worked for Smittys 17 years and left during the Canadian reign.
I worked for Smitty's from 1973-1989, beginning at Store 2. Began in Sundries, moved to cashier, worked sales audit, front end manager. Met my husband there. Lots of good memories.
I was hired as a clothing buyer at
Smitty's in 1973 by his general manager at the time. his name escapes me. Our offices were upstairs at the McDowell store.
It was a challenging job, had to
please Helen Smith with clothing selections. She liked high end merchandise. Clyde wanted more
mid priced clothes. When I started
they had six stores and were growing rapidly. We did change to more moderate priced clothing and sales took off. I remember working with Howard who bought mens
wear, Hank who bought domestics,
also the jewelery buyer and womens
buyer. Bob Boudreax and Don Webb
oversaw the department store. I left in 1975 when I got an offer to
move to california to become a wholesale rep. selling clothing to
retailers in S. Cal. for a major clothing company. I enjoyed the
job at Smitty's, however women did
not get promoted. I remember Clyde as a hard working man and always
thinking about the next store. I am glad for this experience as it
brought me recognition from outside the company and the great
job that i moved to Ca. for. I am now retired here in S Ca.
Millie Hunter
I worked in the restaurant at #2. What a good time it was. Later transfered to #14. A good company with good pay and bennies for the time. Remember RIO? Retirement, Investment, Option. Matching funds from the company for your retirement. God bless Joe Lugo, and John Gaither the cooks from #2 Rosa the german waitress, hope you are doing OK.
Remember the fish dinners on Friday nights! the people lined up out the door. It was the Big Town restaurant at McDowell and Granite Reef. #2.
I worked for Smitty's a couple of different times all on the eastside. Tom Hickey was a good man. The format was unique but the beginning of the end was when they sold to Steinberg. They stopped growing in Phoenix and let Fry's go past them with their 24 hour stores and double coupons. I worked at #2 in 1973-74. That was so much fun! I miss the Smitty's stores. I want to know who Danny and Marvin are? Marvin must be Marvin Davis but which Danny is it? Great posts! Kevin Finn
I worked for Smitty's from 79 thru 96 and left during the Smith's transition. I saw the writting on the wall...the great run of Smitty's was ending and "things" would never be the same again. The sucess enjoyed by Smitty's was the result of the hard work of its dedicated employees and management.They were the best! I feel sorry for those who had to go and start over somewhere else (leave the "family") but life goes on and Im sure they're OK.
Smitty's was a great place to shop and to work. Clem Gonzales hired me as a partime cashier in Dec, 1979 at store #10. I transferred to Store #19 when it opened and then to Store #20 when we moved to Gilbert in 1984. I got a full time cashier spot at Store #11 with the blue hairs and then went to Store #24 in Gilbert when it opened ( a very pretty store). That was not the end of my Smitty's journey, from there I was promoted to a Scan Coordinator at Store #5, what a cute little store, many good people worked and shopped there. Then I went onto store #13 same position, bigger store. Here I got my first traffic ticket making a left turn on a red light off of Mill Ave. Well now, lets see this is 1990 I think. I was promoted to a Customer Service person again at Store #5 and then off to Store #13 and then Store #22 and then #21 and then time off for an illness and when I came back I worked for a short time at Store #7. I left in 1993 and then we moved out of state and when I heard that Smitty's was gone. I felt very sad. I really don't know of another place that meant so much to so many. It was a family outing, take the kids with you to shop and buying them a ice cream cone while we walked the store and then we took home a pizza for dinner after we were done. What about having a bank in the building. Hey that was fun! I don't think I left any of my stores out. Oh yeah I remember working at other stores when they needed help. As a Cashier everyone hated having to work the 10 express lane. I work in Sales Audit part time, it was not as fun as I imagined it would be but I am glad I did it. I loved working the liquor department and yes I remember I worked a jc stocking to prove I was worthy of a fouth man postion even though I was a woman. I think it was tough for the guys to let the girls play in grocery management. The pay was good and all the rumors about who was sleeping with who were always interesting break talk. LOL, Hope all the old Smitty's gang is doing well. I am happy to have found this blog. Smitty's Putting it all together for you! Was that it?
WOW!!...what a walk down memory lane. I'm Sherri Smith-Dodgson; the youngest daughter of Doug Smith and niece to the rest of the brothers. I saw someone asking where the first Smitty's was. It was at South 16th St. and Buckeye. My dad was shot in the head at that store by a shoplifter.He was o.k. of course, but we tease him about being thick headed. Clyde and my dad are doing great. I saw someone mention Benny the barber. I was playing in a softball game with my husband's company several years ago and Benny was the umpire. Store #2 was the first place my mom and dad took me to after leaving the hospital when I was born. I spent much of my childhood through part of college in the stores. I remember having a birthday party in the restaurant at #2. While shopping at Sprouts today, I was telling my daughter about how I used to eat lunch in the restaurant at #2 with my dad and he would put pepper in his buttermilk and I would put it in my chocolate milk, because I wanted to be just like him. Rosa worked in the Restaurant at #21 for awhile and also ended up being a nanny for Brigit Neilson (the actess). Rosa was great. I worked off and on at store 2 and 21. I worked for Albertson's while at college in Southern Utah, but there was no place like Smitty's. I'm going to print this blog and share it with my dad. He refuses to get a computer:-)Last time I heard, Cecil and Clem were doing well. It was fun to hear someone mention that Clem was the one who hired her, because I remember my dad talking about when they had hired Clem. Jack Kennedy was the one who hired me as a bagger @ store #21. I love it when my path crosses with someone who remembers Smitty's. I became a teacher in 1994 and one day a parent who was helping at the school was wearing a Smitty's jacket. She was the wife of Mike Donahue(who had been a complex manager at #24 I think) and 2 years later I was the 2nd grade teacher for their son. Talk about full circle. Smitty's was a great traing ground for many, including myself. I have so many memories I couln't begin to list them all, but I wish everyone the best and thanks for sharing your memories.
Sherri Smith-Dodgson
I miss Smitty's and I miss all the friends made during my 11 years as a cashier. Smitty's was good to me and I am grateful for the good times while employed at Smitty's. Anyone out there who worked with me at stores #10 and #16 please contact me at louanngoss@cox.net!
I worked at #17, #16 and #8 from 84 to 89. I remember so many wonderful times and good friends. How fun to find this blog and see names that I know! I was a courtesy clerk at first, then worked in the candy counter and then as a cashier. I loved helping out in flowers and liquor (especially on Sunday morning, when I was under 21 and could just dust and hang out!) and as PBX operator. I remember the cowboys coming in the office and dropping off their guns and knives. I bagged Alice Cooper's grocieries and rang up an order for Danny Stewart, the race car driver.
Thank you for the blog...it is good to see others with the same memories I have of working at Smitty's...it was an experience that shaped me....that is for sure. I worked at stores 2 and 21 for 12 years starting in 1986. I grew up riding my bike to store 2 to spend my allowance...I remember I was a nickel short for a hot wheel, and Jean (a long time cashier) asked the person in front of me for the change...she made me say thank you...I was so embarassed...then I grew up to work with her...wild.
Smitty's helped shape the person I am today. It was my very first real job. In 1985, I was hired by Gilbert Lopez as a carryout. I remember he made me get a second haircut because my hair barely touched my ears! I was angry, but nevertheless I conformed. Guided by Gilbert, I managed to make my hustling pay off and I was quickly promoted to 'bottle boy' and then to JC. I worked with some great people, many of whom I still recall today. Managers like Gene Carter, Bob Cisman, Jim Kolb, and, of course, Marvin Davis. He was one of the greatest. One of the coolest compliments was when the cashiers would tell me that I reminded them of Marvin when he was younger. I always thought I would eventually become a Smitty's Complex Manager...
The employees of Smitty's had a special trait, a common thread that to this day, I truly admire. Most had an incredible attention for detail and really cared about the stores appearance. So much pride would go into the building of an end-display or holiday decorating. What a cool sight a Smitty's store was at 8:00am in the morning after the night crew had finished stocking, facing, cleaning and polishing it up for the new day!
True, there were lots of relationships and affairs between the Smitty's crew. I dated many cashiers and other cute employees in my day. I still cling to some of those memories! :-)
I worked at several Smitty's stores during my 11 year stint (3 re-hires). These stores include, 8, 16, 8, 1, 23, 8, 19, 3, 25, 16, tucson kolb, tucson oro valley, 25, 19.
Today, I am married with children and work in a much different industry. I still use the same work ethic and traits I developed from the many years at Smitty's. I am truly greatful to the people who mentored me along the way.
-RJD
PS. R.I.P. Gabe M.
We moved to McClintock & Southern area of Tempe in 1978. I have some wonderful memories of Smittys at McCLintock & Baseline from 1978-1984 (I graduated in 1984 and moved away). I remember my Dad sending me down to Smittys to pick up a pizza from the Smittys pizza shop. Anybody remember their pizza? Good stuff! I can remember getting haircuts at the Smittys barber shop. I remember buying bicycle innertubes at Smittys. What a really great place Smittys was. I really miss it.
I loved Smitty's growing up we always went to the resturant then go shopping. I loved the snack bar and the candy. I have collected Smitty's memoribilia and would love some more.
www.smittysbigtown.com
Paradox Unbound: "Remembering Smitty's" has inspired me to start a dedication site to Smitty's. My initial design is CRUDE, but I vow to donate more resources to the site as I gather more pictures, etc.
I envision the site as a place where former employees and customers can share their memories and perhaps contact old friends. I will add pictures (if I can GET them) and eventually a messageboard to facilitate this.
Thanks to Mitch for lighting the fire!
Please contact me via smittysbigtown.com to send me any pictures or stories you would like to share.
I worked for Smitty's for many years and would like to give back and remember the good times we had working/shopping there!
-Richie
I live in Oklahoma, but I was raised in Maricopa, Arizona, and I grew up with with Smitty's; we shopped at Baseline & McClintock and at Alma School and Warner in Chandler. I used to eat pizza there all the time. It just isn't the same visiting Arizona and not seeing Smitty's.
my name is marvin davis, belive it or not i am still alive. wow what great memories and one very bad one. if you know the smittys story you know what i am talking about. anyway great to find this site
I stumbled onto this site by accident tonight. Indeed, this is a trip down memory lane. I started as a carryout at #7 in 1981 and worked there through high school. Smitty’s was my first real job and I had many great managers like Ted Ling, Clem, Ralph, and so many others who taught me not only great customer service skills but life lessons as well. In college, I came back to Smitty’s as a JC at #11, but never had the same relationships that I had at the Tempe store.
Even before working at Smitty’s I spent lots of time in the store. I really miss the Pizza and haven’t had a good razor cut since I stopped seeing Al in the Barber Shop.
People today probably can’t imagine what Smitty’s was like at Christmas. It was the busiest store in Tempe and parking was a premium. I still remember the day cars were trying to get out of the parking lot by making a left turn (north) onto McClintock from the main entrance. Traffic was backed up all the way to the front door of the store so Ted had Greg Parsons and I go back to Sporting Goods and pick out a couple of orange hunting vests. Then he sent us out to stop traffic on McClintock to let our shoppers out of the parking lot. Talk about customer service! Greg and I did this for about 30 minutes and were getting pretty good at it until the Tempe Police showed up. The outcome was fairly predictable and needless to say, we never did that again.
I don’t remember any football games but I do remember an awesome ski trip to Flagstaff. We chartered a bus and had a great time! I was 17 and it was my first ski trip.
Thanks for the memories.
Roger Stites
Does anyone remember Gabe Mendoza?
He worked at #10 and later at #16, where I worked with him. We had some fun times. He took his own life about 10 years ago. I don't know exactly why. I heard an Elvis Christmas song the other day and thought of Gabe. Those who knew him, know that he was a HUGE Elvis fan. I miss that guy and wonder where he would be today, if he hadn't decided to end his life.
-RJD
I grew up near the Smitty's on Grand and 83rd Avenue in Peoria, Arizona. The thing I remember the most about them is their pizza. The little black
flecks on the bottom of their crust. It's still the best pizza I've eaten to this day. I also, remember the little restaurant that was attached to the side, where the family'd go on special occasions, or where my mom and dad would go alone to celebrate an anniversary. I remember the little flower section, where I'd buy my mom her mother's day flowers, and I remember the boy's clothing section where I'd do most of my clothes shopping for every new school year. I remember the bakery section where we'd go to get a cookie if we'd been good, when me and my sister were barely knee-high to my mom. Or that one row of cheapy toys where we could pick out something we liked every time we went. The candy counter at the front, with its scoopable assortment of candy, and softserve ice cream. I remember the barber shop. (I should. It's where I got my first haircut.) The piñatas hanging over the register. The green bread they'd put out for St. Patrick's day. The electronics counter where I bought my first Nintendo tape. Honestly, I remember everything from that store, and they're all good memories. That Smitty's is the archetype for every store I walk into today. I knew that Smitty's before I knew the word "store."
Glad to see they still exist in some form in Missouri.
Hello Marvin I do remember your one sad memory with the Smittys chain. My heart goes out to you for that unfortunate accident. I hope you will be able to let it go someday as it wasn't your fault. That same night I stopped two large male alcohol shoplifters at #9 Hatcher and cave creek and I wanted to change my mind when I looked back and had no backup. I did arrest both of them but had to go to John C Lincoln hosp. to get my left eyebrow area stiched up. Of course it was after my shift. I remember that night like it was yesterday because of both events. I had alot more wonderful memories than bad meeting so many employees traveling from store to store, like Bookem dannel from store #9 you know who you are. Marvin I remember some exciting times with you like when we made possibly the largest stop for customer theft with a guy that had two of the largest plastic bags that Smittys had in clothing department one in each arm. The good far surpassed the bad. Glad to hear marv that your still alive. hello Dan Marshall Anyone wanting to say hey,Drop a line anytime.
Pat Millette (bubber55@cox.net)
WOW! I worked for Smittys from 80-93. I was at 17,19,12 and I opened the store at Bell and 67th Ave . I was mainly in General Merch Rec'g both as a lead and then Mgr. I have lots of memories of both good and bad. I would really like to hear from some of my old workmates (Dana Jones(Micelli), Greg Weitzel, Lou Ann Koch, Scott Ryan (Gumby :)etc )
Mike Jackson
olddoc1024@comcast.net
mjackson@leitztooling.com
Hello Again!
Last time I read this blog, I printed it out and shared it with my dad, Doug Smith. He LOVED reading every word. Unfortunately, my cousin Karen (Clyde's youngest daughter) passed away this summer in a motorcycle accident. Some of you might remember her, as she worked for the company. Clyde just celebrated his 89th birthday in January. He looks great and many former managers and a lot of family attended. Keep up the posts. I love to read them. The Smitty's Big Town website sounds like a great idea. I have some pictures. I'll try to get them out. Has anyone ever thought of having a Smitty's reunion? Blessings to you all!
Sherri Smith-Dodgson
sherridodgson@yahoo.com
I haven't seen any postings from Smitty's Missouri folks so I thought I would add to the Smitty's legacy. I worked for Smitty's in Missouri that was started by Dave Trottier in the 80s. The things you all remember about Smitty's in AZ were part of our operations from the first store on Glendale in Springfield through expansion to three stores in Springfield, three stores in Joplin in the late 80s to stores in Republic, Nixa and Waynesville in the early to mid 90s. Beautiful big stores with huge displays, finest produce, outstanding bakeries, lowest prices, excellent family style restaurants, and the best service in town. My parents and Grandparents moved to Phoenix many years ago and were so excited to see Smitty's stores because of their reputation and commitment to service and quality that they had come to appreciate in MO. Unfortunately they have had to weather the ever changing landscape of grocery stores over the last 10 years and were very sad to see Smitty's dissappear. I owe a lot of my success in my life to lessons learned while working at Smitty's for 11 years. Unfortunately, most of these beautiful stores were eventually purchased and destroyed by Albertson's then sold again and now most operate under the Ramey's Price Cutter banner although I believe a couple of stores at least one in Lebanon MO still carry the blue Smitty's logo but are nothing like the old stores. I met Clyde a few times over the years when he would come for a visit to see Dave and what Smitty's in Missouri was doing. I remember being very nervous as were the rest of our store's crew because of his legacy and reputation, but I have to tell you each time he visited, he left us feeling very proud of ourselves and our beautiful stores. It is sad to see how Wal-Mart has laid waste to so many of these really great innovators in these regional grocery retail giants that really had a loyal following and knew how to serve their customers, fairly compete and contribute economically and socially in these local markets. I measure every store I have to shop at these days against Smitty's and unfortunately there is no substitute.
I can remember going to the Smittys on 59th Ave and Bethany and on 83rd Ave and Grand. I remember as a kid I would love to have a free cookie. The people were always nice and the stores of today do not have that same quality Smittys had. On a different note, on 16th Street and Buckeye, the Walgreens there was also the first in Phoenix because my uncle worked for them and he would always say, that was Walgreens #1. Smittys #1. Very interesting they would locate side by side.
WOW what a surprise to find this site. I worked at Smitty's store 16 at 35th and Bethany from Oct.94 until May 95. What a lot of memories this brings back. RJD yes i remeber gabe mendoza well, we worked together a lot and he was a friend. I miss him too. He was a real Don Juan wasn't he. Hey Richie Ronnie and Reba! I miss you guys! Reba I still remeber when your cat got caught in the blinds and scratched your neck up. Hey Lacie J. whats up. Hey Lindsay K. what a lot of fun.
How I remember "SMITTY"S, "SWEDE", David Trottier, "The singer". The Saddlehorn Restaurant. My ex-husband worked for the "Coronado Boys". My son grow up going to his dad's store every saturday morning for the "breakfast special". Smitty's was a great place for the family. So sorry to hear about Karen, I remember when her first husband died, so young. Arizona needs a "Smitty's Elyse Harris
TEst ok roger wheres uncle tom.
Mr ort are you Reading???
I used to visit my grandparents who lived in Mesa, AZ every summer from the late 1970s through the late 1980s. Smitty's is one of the places I remember visiting every time we were out that way. My grandfather worked at Motorola in Scottsdale so we'd meet him at the Smitty's across the street and have a slice of pizza with him before we wandered around the rest of the store. There were a couple of other Smitty's stores that we'd shop at too but I have no idea where they were amd I don't remember them as well either. Smitty's was quite unique to those of us who grew up in Southern California since we didn't have anything quite like that out here at the time. I was actually curious about whether or not Smitty's still existed so I put Google to work and see that the chain no longer exists. What a shame.
I used to visit my grandparents who lived in Mesa, AZ every summer from the late 1970s through the late 1980s. Smitty's is one of the places I remember visiting every time we were out that way. My grandfather worked at Motorola in Scottsdale so we'd meet him at the Smitty's across the street and have a slice of pizza with him before we wandered around the rest of the store. There were a couple of other Smitty's stores that we'd shop at too but I have no idea where they were and I don't remember them as well either. Smitty's was quite unique to those of us who grew up in Southern California since we didn't have anything quite like that out here at the time. I was actually curious about whether or not Smitty's still existed so I put Google to work and see that the chain no longer exists. What a shame.
Smitty's was my first job. I worked at store #9 in Sunnyslope from '85-'90, Started as a bagger, then department store receiving, sundries, and then part time scanning coordinator. Then transfered to #21 as part time scanning coord. while still going to school. I met my future wife at #9 (Amy Davidson - carryout, housewares, and then domestics manager) After #21, attended graduate school in Iowa and am now a chiropractic physician, www.drrisley.com. Amy and I are still married (16 years this Oct) and have two girls, 6 and 9. We live in NE Phoenix. Some names that stick out from #9: John Potter, Glen Jordan, Julie Schmaltz, Don Fairbanks, Desi Rubalcalba, Richard Ochoa. Randy Dukepoo, Smitty's was such an important developmental influence into the person I am today. I am gratefull that I went down that path as a youth. Bill Risley
gary boyd. my first job as a kid was at #17 bell and freeway. lots of fond memories of the place and people.i can still feel the bottom of my feet burn from cart duty on the hot tarmac.my career started in 1979 and ended in 1990.I left as a front end mgr when i saw the direction the co was headed.the saddest day was watching cecil evans leave that morning for a directors meeting.he never came back.i stayed another year before relocating to pinetop,az.i worked for bashas from 90-2005 i was the second man when a superwallmart opened in showlow.within one year we were visited by eddie bashas and given the sad news that the store would be closing.instead of transfering and pulling my 4 sons out of the only school they had ever known. my wife anna (i met her at #3) and i decided to accept the severance package that was quite generouse.i now work 4 10 hour shifts as a beer truck driver with every friday sat sun off.i never had that in retail.i still miss it though,but i have a life now.i remember alot off first names.linda cashier@17,preston kesler,gordon kieth,goerge gavin,ken smally,ssharron coffee,carman @#3,vicky and collette @3.paul lionardi,eric till,george marquez,dale @#3.and many more faces whos names escape me , im gonna leave my cell number in case theres anyone who wants to talk about old times.928-369-8977
gary boyd. my first job as a kid was at #17 bell and freeway. lots of fond memories of the place and people.i can still feel the bottom of my feet burn from cart duty on the hot tarmac.my career started in 1979 and ended in 1990.I left as a front end mgr when i saw the direction the co was headed.the saddest day was watching cecil evans leave that morning for a directors meeting.he never came back.i stayed another year before relocating to pinetop,az.i worked for bashas from 90-2005 i was the second man when a superwallmart opened in showlow.within one year we were visited by eddie bashas and given the sad news that the store would be closing.instead of transfering and pulling my 4 sons out of the only school they had ever known. my wife anna (i met her at #3) and i decided to accept the severance package that was quite generouse.i now work 4 10 hour shifts as a beer truck driver with every friday sat sun off.i never had that in retail.i still miss it though,but i have a life now.i remember alot off first names.linda cashier@17,preston kesler,gordon kieth,goerge gavin,ken smally,ssharron coffee,carman @#3,vicky and collette @3.paul lionardi,eric till,george marquez,dale @#3.and many more faces whos names escape me , im gonna leave my cell number in case theres anyone who wants to talk about old times.928-369-8977
I worked at a Smitty's the year I lived in Scottsdale in the early 80's. (I believe we were store 12). I haven't been back to the Phoenix area since then, and I had often wondered if they were still around. Very sorry to hear they are not. I worked in automotive and the photo/sound departments. Hope Linda, Karen, Lauren, Don Fajen, and all are still doing well.
My name is Paul. I worked at Smitty's # 16 when I just graduated from Alhambra in 1984. I got a job a a bagger. I worked there while I was in college until January 1986. Even though I have a Master's degree today and I teach college and high school, that was the best job that I ever had. Everyone was so cool at that store and it taught me how to get along with people. Maybe I am romanticising about how great it was there, but as a kid who was 18 years old at the time, that was a pretty cool place to be. My mangers were Louie, he was a big fat Mexican guy and really cool. Bob Cisman also worked there. He was cool if you got on his good side. and also Bob Davis, he was an older black man who was retired from the Air Force that worked as a front end manager. He was my favorite. I made many friends there and we used to hang out together a lot. I miss that place very much and I wish that it were still there.
Wow what a trip down memory lane! I started at #19 83rd and Indian School as a cashier and I have been to many other stores through the years...I miss all the fun, but this website keeps our memories alive. Good job Guys!
These comments continue to grow and validate the need for a Smitty's tribute website that is currently under construction.
As you probably know, there is not much available regarding the Smitty’s legacy on the Internet. We are going to change that. This website will soon contain many pictures, stories and a forum to preserve Smitty’s place in history.
If you have anything you would like to contribute to this site, please contact me. I am still in need of quality pictures of each of the stores, both inside and out.
The website address is:
www.smittysbigtown.com
Thanks!
Richard Dietzman
richard@dietzman.com
Wow, Wow, Wow ..... I don't have any idea on how on got this page. I worked for Smitty's, 18 + years. Reading the comments brought back alot of very good memories. I am very proud to have worked for such a great company. Today, I am still thankful for the experience I received.
I started at #10, just after store #11 was built. Jim Hinley was the store manager, John Sims was the grocery manager, Ralph...Don't remember his last name... Maybe ( Harden)the 3rd man and Joe the 4th man.
Names of the past:
Jim Evans
Gene Carter
Steve Wiskettle
Az Thompson
Jim & Walt Kolb
Al Mc Near
Ken Smalley
Dudley Slaton
Tom Campbell
Barry Thiem
Marvin Davis
Jim Agalaotos
Andy Lucas
John Potter
Gary Nicholes
BJ Nicholes
Win Smith
I could go on for sometime, I'll check back on this site soon and determine if it's worth more input... Maybe a reunion of some kind would be worth while....
I worked at the following stores in Restaurant Management
1,4,6,8,9,10,12,13,14,15,16,17,21,23
Tony F
My dad worked for Gillette and sold a lot of stuff to Smitty's. He had a funny anecdote about someone who worked there named Dean Mannheimer. Anybody know or work with this guy?
As I was googling family members to get geneology, I came across my uncle's name in this website. Even though both my parents worked for Smitty's, I am not a product of the intimate affairs that apparently went on there. However, my cousins, the children of Bob Cisman are, lol.
Smitty's is definitely an icon of AZ history... my mom, Judy Cisman, worked in the bakery and my dad would take me and my siblings there to do the grocery shopping. We would arrive at her store and get her from the bakery to go to the Smitty's restaurant for lunch. After lunch, my dad would take us to do the grocery shopping. Then we would stop by the bakery before we left to get a free cookie... M&M cookie, that is. My great grandmother lived in south phx and when we would visit her, sometimes we would take her to the Smitty's restaurant as well. I wasn't driving when Smitty's was around so I do not recall much but just where my parents took us. I do remember the clothes department and the barber shop though. And when Fred Meyer took over some of the Smitty's, I remember they kept most of the Smitty's integrity.
My dad worked at Smitty's for a short time before they were bought out. His name, Randy Cisman. He worked in the meat department. My uncle, Bob, married Annette (a cashier, I believe) and they procreated my cousins. Then they divorced and he married April (another cashier) to which they are still married to this day and gave me another cousin. I think another one of my aunts worked there, as well, Rae Daily. Anyway, this is a really nice site for all those to reminisce about the Smitty's chronicle.
How I would love an icee parfait right now! That was the Smitty's shopping treat!
I worked at the first location in Tucson (store 50) from August 1992-August 1993 (and I tried to go back in August 1994 - but only worked there 3 days). Several Phoenix managers and cashiers came to Tucson and worked in our store: Sonny Hively, Laurie Passanella, Kevin Knapp, Kurt Reinke, Mark Reinke, Alice Adams, Chris Campbell, Barb Taylor, Tim, Fred and Marcella (married couple can't recall their last names)... the list could go on - there are about 3 - 4 other people whose faces I can see, but names have escaped me!
Our grand opening party the day before the store opened was a blast - they fed us shrimp and as much President's Choice stuff we could eat!
I kept in touch with many of the people that stayed at store #50 after stores 51 and 52 opened. But when they went thru all the buyouts everyone left scattered and went to various Frys stores in Tucson and I heard some went back to Phoenix!
I always thought it was unique that they would hire kids at 14 at limited hours - that would have been way cool to be able to work that young. I remember there were different color name badges (yellow and red) for underage workers - they couldn't bag alchohol or work past 9 pm during the school year or work over 20 hours a week or something like that.
At our store we had a Subway, Pizza Hut, Weinerschnizel and a Cinnabon in our food court. We also had an eyeglass place and a yogurt shoppe for a while and a Bank of America branch. Store 50 took over an old GemCo building - so it was definitely a nice replacement.
Miss those stupid Shoppers Passports - Smitty's pioneered the "shoppers cards" - damn them!
I bought so much stuff in the general mdse area - a neon phone, I don't know how many CDs I bought there, a really cool watch, cologne/perfume, BUM Equiment shirts (that I still have), Phoenix Suns mdse (that I still have) - oh so much stuff!!!
I worked as a part time (yet had a full time schedule) Carryout from August 1992-May 1993, was promoted to Deli Meat stocker in May 1993 but they made it an overnight position at that point, then transferred to the Deli to get back on day shift in late July 1993 and only survived over there for a month.
We started out as non union, and after we were all scheduled Thanksgiving Day and those of us that called in sick were fired, they brought in the local union. I never joined but did attend their meetings once in a while - because my friends had joined and the idiot running the union kept confusing me with the PBX operator - so he kept letting me in. I hate unions and didn't enjoy working for them after the union came in.
We had a softball team and we played against the other store when it opened - was a blast!
And yes... drama drama drama between our cashiers - I almost thought there was gonna be catfights in the locker room! And romance was alive and well with our store as well! Our produce/grocery guy had a definite fling with our PBX girl - even tho his wife was a cashier and very pregnant... I also dated a carryout and a utility clerk while I was there - so I was no different. Back then tho - it was safe to date your coworkers and not be slapped with a sexual harassment suit!
My friends (not already mentioned above) were:
Jennifer Smith-Harmison
Lee Neil (he just got married again)
Ian Neff (married HS sweetheart)
Kelly Beitel (a church pastor now - I dated his brother towards the end of my Smitty's days)
Danny Smith
Regina Pickens
Angela & Brad (cashiers)
Angela (15 yr old carryout)
Carrie (cashier)
Carrie (PBX)
Rachele
(Chuck's girlfriend blonde hair - sorry can't remember her name - moved to the midwest)
John ("Pinkies")
Marc
Jack
Virgil
Justin Cheseborough (when I turned 21 I bought beer from him - he was the first to ever card me)
Virginia Brown
Suzanna
Jeremy Sisson (living in Mesa, engaged)
Paulette
Paul Rice (now working for Costco in Phoenix last I talked to him)
Jenny Patton (ok, not my friend, cuz she made me push carts every time it rained)
Carmen Kraff (ok, again not my friend, cuz I'd never get my breaks under her)
Keith Lybeck
(Keith's son - can't remember his name either)
Simon
and we all remember Morris - our idiotic senile greeter!
I remember all of us in our shopping center were close too - the nail salon, Baggins sandwich shoppe... all of us hung out and were friendly with each other!
If we all had email and cell phones back then... I bet more of us would've kept in touch! Although thru myspace I have reconnected with a couple people!
Fond Fond Memories!
One of the best jobs I ever had! Lots of friends, lots of goofing off - but lots of great memories!
MARVIN DAVIS...Good to hear from you! You were a very bright guy with unlimited potential..and loved "roundball" as I recall.Best wishes to you and yours.
Gary
I loved the sour cherry balls at the candy counter!! I worked at 7 and 20, carryout, PBX Operator and Cashier. Wow. What a blast from the past. I loved Smitty's.
11 of the greatest years of my life were at the Smitty’s at 35th and Peoria. I remember playing in the field before the store was built, working (playing) there and moving off to jobs where I would tell others of the friendships that existed at that store. I made friends that I still run into to this day, and other that I wish we could all gather with. Toilet bowl football games between stores on thanksgiving were a tradition. It seems a shame that we all just relive these memories and not reunite to share them. There appears to be an active site, smittysbigtown.com that is attempting to form a site. Please contribute information to this site and it may be a link for all to gather. If I get enough response I will attempt to find resources so that reunions may be put together. Email me at jetfun@hotmail.com . Let me know if you would be interested in being a contact person for a reunion for your store, as I believe I knew most people at store 6 during my time, I knew non from other stores. Dr. Michael Riley
Wow
A lot of names from the past. What a great time working at Smitty's was. I only worked at store 12 on Tatum and Shea, but those are memories I will never forget. One of my first jobs. Was there from 1984 to 1990 and I will always remember it as one of my best. From carryout to bottles to stocker, I still hold the experience as one that shaped my life in a most positive way. Names from the past: Rick Stone, Brian Reney, Pete Tolliver, Brian Bray, PJ Peak, Tom Jasper, Charlotte, Carrie, Angie, Sam Gualtierre, Matt Debenedetto...so many others and of course Becky whom am I still married to after all these years. Still have my price gun and box cutters! I am totally down for some kind of get together. I'll be staying tuned. Still living in PHX.
Jim Lucas
Jlucas9@cox.net
I am very glad to see so many names posting comments. I had a lot of people in my life at smittys that helped me. Gary you were the first to push me from a lost night stocker to having pride in what I did with the company and moving forward.. Thank you
Gary Fasey (?spelling on last name)
I would be happy to hear from any smitty's people
e mail me if you would like.
Marvin Davis
palmvalleyauto@yahoo.com
Hello all, my name is Marie. I heard about this site from my best friend Ea who still works at #17. When I worked at Smitty's (1972-1982) I was Marie Weiss and later Marie Baker after marrying Rick Baker who also worked at Smitty's (even long after we'd divorced). I spent the decade of my 20's working and living the Smitty's life and have great memories. At one point, I had 6 family members working at Smitty's.
I was hired by Steve Weiskettle at Store #6. My "interview" was the Saturday before Mother's Day, 1972 and the store was a madhouse. While I waited for almost 3 hours to interview, I sat in the front office and made bows for giftwrap. Steve thought I'd earned a job with that manuever! I spent the next ten years working at #6,#5 and #3 and the main office as supermarket trainer and later point of sale coordinator. I was lucky enough to learn from managers who thought I had potential and they gave me a lot of "interesting" assignments. I learned how to dust the Jello (who knew that had to be done?!), use a box cutter without injury, pull a pallet jack loaded with dog food or salt (I think that was a test of my willpower), use Skiddoo, how to read the order book for price checks, pull cardboard, do misplace..... yes, it's all coming back to me now. I was on store opening crews for 10-20 and every store opening holds a memory for me.
We had good times but we had some troubles - remember the floods that threatened to flood the 7th Street HQ and shut down so many city streets? What about when a cashier unplugged her register to go on break, but these were the first electronic registers and she inadvertantly shut down the entire front end of #11 on opening day! Remember the trauma of the armoured car robbery at #3 - scary, but thanks to my training from Aldi - I knew what to do. What about the rain leaks into #16 just days before grand opening (every store had leaks) but the virtual swiming pool that happend the dock at #6 after any rain may be the record holder.
We also had great parties and softball and football games and pizza across the street from #6! We went to concerts in Smitty's employee groups. We won big time display awards like the Green Giant house at #6 that filled the entire concourse. Just remember how much fun it was to do our Christmas shopping nights.
Smitty's was my first real job and some of the lessons I learned stuck with me to this day and I have used throughout my career in the consumer products business. "Plan your work-Work your plan" was on a sign over the doorway in the Smitty's conference room and it's been on the wall in my offices for decades. The Smiths demonstrated their strong work ethic - I've had Doug, Clyde and Swede bag groceries for me - they were out in stores on Christmas Eve, Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings working just like we were. Clyde had these dreadful Green Giant golf pants he'd wear in early morning stops! They cared about their employees education - I think because their kids were in college too. Jim Henley, the #6 grocery manager, used to ask for our college schedule and then try to schedule our work shifts around that - "your education is good for you and good for Smittys in the long run" he said and I have always followed that principle with my employees. I can't walk down a store aisle without picking up trash (thank you Tom Hickey); I automatically face the canned goods when I take something from the shelf (thank you Gene Carter & Dudley Slaten); my cash is always faced correctly in my wallet and when handling (thank you Gary Nichols). I now review some POS materials and I look at cases, side stacks and end caps to see if they are correctly faced, papered and stable (thank you John Trottier); and I can still bag groceries - in paper- fast enough to keep up with the cashiers in my local supermarket (thank you Alex Valenzuela). Our managers were strict, unrelenting and set high standards. As a more senior business person, now I am glad to have had that strict training, but then I hated being sent home for a dress code violation!
Like many of you, Smitty's is the place I grew up and became an adult. I bought my first legal bottle of Boones Farm Strawberry Hill wine at Smittys when I turned 21- who knew I'd be making it decades later!
At a time when women were not equal in business, I had many opportunities to learn and grow thanks to managers I've mentioned and others which shaped me into the business professional I am today. I think we had around 25-30% of the market back in those days. Unheard of numbers - it's hard for people today to know how unusual that is, how distinct our complex stores were and how incredibly huge they were back then. This is a long post but I feel fortunate to have started my career in a company that created the complex-store format and set the standards in the industy. I hope some of you do too.
I loved shopping there when I was a child. The only thing I remember is eating cookies there every time.
Smitty's #12 was our store....moved to Az when I was 12, in 1975, and watched #12 (Tatum and Shea) being built a couple or so years later...much close than the Bayless that we otherwise had to go to at Lincoln and Scotts....
remember CB's Libations??...nobody has mentioned that here, I think...I heard Clyde Smith had it done so he'd have a nearby place to go have a drink!!....true?...
and, yes, that pizza was the best....we never went anywhere else for it....that restaurant was great - friendly comfort food...
also, I remember Smitty's being the last major gorcery chain to add computer price scanning at the check-out...still punching in each price before that!....
barber and beauty shops...the painting of Clyde Smith in the office....I remember applying for a job while in high school and the manager telling me my hair would have to be above my ear (late 70s) - was shocked that this was a policy!....NOBODY had short hair in the late 70s....
There is a NEW SITE FOR former Smittys employees...Check it out
http://linkupphx.ning.com
How wonderful Memory Lane.
My career began in 1980 at #1. as a Cashier, then Sundries with Donna Jones.. Wow a city girl from chicago coming to 16th st & Buckeye...Kim Korp is still my friend to this day. Jeff Taylor had his hands full with me.& my chicago attitude. Robert Donati was the next big influence in getting me to change my attitude.Bob Davis was so kind. Chuck Perconti comes to mind. My sister Annette then joined the Smittys team with me at #1 in the bakery dept.(she spoke spanish I didn't) My sister Colette then joined Smittys at #3.as a bagger
About 1984 I transferred to #12 and met my future husband at a Smittys volley ball game against store #17 George Rutledge who worked in the meat dept.What fond memories at store 12 Marvin Davis was always my favorite.mgr. hate to say it but was never fond of Jack Kennedy. Preston was nice. Brian Ringe & Rick Stone really tried to keep Donna Bunjovac,Lori Korte & I from talking over the registers to each other instead of paying attention to the customers.they had a tough time with that. Shirley Fleming & Julie Gulliver, Lynn Liles, Charlotte was a dear. Suzy Kubiak was the prettiest cashier there. Pete Tolliver was the fun stocker Thanks Jim for not remembering me. who can ever forget me. lol the work ethic stuck all thru my career.
What I can say truly changed my life because of Smittys was the yr.1985 about 6 deaf baggers were hired. everyone was a bit uncomfortable on how to talk to them. I just started writing on the "paper" bags. after a couple days i was like this is crazy I'm going to learn sign language so I can talk to them. I enrolled in a class. Smittys changed my schedule for my nite classes 2x a wk & I had all the deaf to practice with every day. I loved it when customers would ask for a bag of dog food or another item & I could turn to my bagger & sign to him/her. John Sims would then have me come to interpret the carry out meetings. I felt I really accomplished the joy of working at Smittys and learning sign language. who would ever have known that everything happens for a reason, my 2nd son Jacob was born with brain damage & couldn't talk or read. but guess what? I taught him to sign. To me that was the biggest Blessing. Beacause of Smittys it came full circle.
My career ended in October of 1990. It was very sad. I moved to South Carolina for 15 yrs. & came back to Phx in 2005 to find all the Smittys GONE! ugh! I got a job at Costco & promoted very fast to a supervisor because of my work ethic I learned at Smittys.
I can be reached at
sextonkiki@hotmail.com
bye y'all
Kathi Sexton
Awesome blog and trip down memory lane. What is truly amazing is the similar string of thoughts that everyone has shared. Even years later, it's easy to rattle off the store numbers and familiar job titles--complex manager, 4th man, PBX, etc. and everyone recalls these with ease and fondness. Likewise, many learned lifelong lessons that they have taken with them and have cherished memories to savor, too. Also, many employees worked for years on end and worked at many stores throughout--that's loyalty you rarely see today.
What set Smitty's apart is legendary (and remembered with fulfillness). What comes to mind other than the aforementioned pizza and restaurants are the following: the double-truck Wednesday ad--no one had better or hotter prices than Smitty's. The annual Strawberry Festival. The annual Cake-O-Rama. Produce weighed and marked in the produce department. Western Savings. Photo-Sound. The seasonal concourse displays. The truckload beer sales. The Warehouse District. Five-O (the security call). The mini-stores: 3, 13, 14, and 15. The carryouts and JCs (more Smitty's-speak) wore collared-shirts and ties. Six-wheelers. The dump tables with the tri-sided signs hanging above. 20 registers going full steam on weekends and holidays. The end-cap programs. The candy season: Back-to-School into Halloween into Christmas into Valentine's into Easter. Friday Night Fish-Fry. 'Wet clean-up on aisle 6, dry clean-up on aisle 9'. The Toy Truckload sale in November. Gift Wrap/Layaway. Bottle Returns. The constant shiftand promotion of managers from store to store. The maintenance crew clad in blue. Stocking that was done in the middle of the night so by morning's opening, everything was pristine and set for the next days' business. If it was new-to-market or being trialed, Smitty's had it first. The J-hook program. The yellow, 3x5 handwritten shelf-talkers. Facing the shelves or dairy case at the end of the day. The compactor (and those huge cardboard bails). A backroom that was clean and organized as the sales floor. Pallets and pallets of 6-pack/32oz. GLASS bottles of Coke or Pepsi that were stacked to the sky when they were on sale to keep up with demand. Price guns--we stickered everything (way before scanning).
Great memories, great friendships, great work ethics, lasting impressions. Sure miss it all.
Mark Gershman
1977-1986 (stores 10,14,12,20,21)
The Smitty's in Waynesville, MO on I-44 is now a PriceCuter. They do have a restaurant operating, just like when it was still Smitty's. I think it was an Albertson's before it was Smitty's. I believe that PricecUtter's headquarters are in Springfield, MO. The last time I was in Springfield the location on West Battlefield was still abandoned although a business was operating out of the restaurant part of the building.
While I myself never worked at Smitty's I have great memories of the store. We lived near the 32nd & Bell store when it was built and opened. My sister and her eventual husband both started their careers as bagger's at that store. They are both executive level employee at large retail coorprations due to what they learned working at Smitty's. My sister worked in most all of the departments at various stores. My nephew was a model for baby and then toddler clothes in the color ads in the early 1990's.
We all loved the snack bar pizza. And I still say nothing beats a hot day like an Icee Parfeit. The morning my dad passed away, we went and got Cinnabon's at 32 & Bell and took them to my sister's and ate them in our sadness. Comfort food. I opened my first bank account at the Western Savings branch inside the store. I bought my first legal bottle of liquor (at age 19 in those days) at Smitty's.
It's sad the store are closed, but I really enjoyed reading the other posts and going down memory lane.
Thanks
Wow what great stories. I've never been to a Smitty's but we have the jacket & cap. My husband is Don Fajen. He's doing well, happily married with children, in Anchorage, AK.
It's been fun reading all the comments and memories about the Arizona Smitty's.
I spent about 10 years with Smitty's, then Smitty's by Albertson's and Albertson's from '88 to 2002 in Springfield, Missouri.
Starting as a bagger, Smitty's was an amazing working experience for me. I have stayed in the Grocery biz since then because of the love I had for that job.
I had alot of fun in those days. I remember when Clyde Smith would come to Springfield to visit Dave Trottier and tour the stores. Always, he was a class act and a gentleman.
I remember helping open 4 or 5 Smitty's stores---it was so freaking busy because we had such a great reputation. What a rush it was to learn in that environment. Customer service, hard work, true work ethics, it was all so much fun and good for a young person to be involved in that. And we got paid to do it!
Thanks, Mitch for this thread!
If anyone is curious to where old Clyde Smith is, he is here in Boerne, TX and plays golf at the resort he built and sold to Jack Parker here in Tapatio Springs Resort. When I moved here I heard about this grocery store guy who built this place (and other golf courses here in Texas). He built this huge mansion up on a cliff overlooking the resort (it looks like the old J.Paul Getty museum in Malibu). He's this tall white hair dude around 90 years old, real nice guy. My understanding from J. Parker (who worked for him as the club manager, left, and came back and Clyde sold to him since he was losing millions on it annually due to water restrictions, etc. Anyway, he said that he owned this Smitty's chain and sold it around 1980 for 130 million or so. The resort is now near bankruptcy due to mismanagement. Clyde still owns the mansion and up for sell, but has since moved closer to San Antonio (to be around the medical center I suspect) The mansion was for sell beginning around 5 million then reduced to 4 then to around 3 million. He's still playing golf here however but unless Textron forces Tapatio into bankruptcy soon he won't have his place to play anymore. The place he now lives does have a nice golf course of its own if this place goes under however (the Dominion).
I am curious to know if there was a Smitty's on the NW corner of 19th Ave and Bell Rd. There is a story of a employee that was killed while working at the deli. I cant seem to verify any of this. Anyone have any clues to this info or how to track it down.
#7 was my family store. I lived in Tempe from 1974-1987. I have great memories of Smitty's. My dad and I would get our haircuts from "Evelyn" then we'd get a slice of pizza and watch the crowds while we sat at the counter and ate. I spent my first paycheck there buying my own clothes and shoes. When I was 5 years old a babysitter took me shopping and got me a cookie. She told my dad that I didn't say thank you to the bakery lady. My dad took me back to the store and made me apologize to her. The store manager was there and told me that taking just a second to be courteous would come back and reward you. He was right. It's a lesson I have never forgotten. I moved back to AZ in 1995 and shopped at the Gilbert Rd./Baseline store until it closed.
Whoa! There's some memories here! I worked at the Smitty's #2 in 69-70 in the sundries and auto departments. The corporate offices were upstairs at the time and I remember seeing this blur with blond hair zipping around the store - of course that was Swede. I only saw Clyde a few times, but it seemed that Swede was everywhere all at the same time. Bob Brower was the comptroller and was one of the greatest guys you'd ever meet.
Don Braden and Gordon Hutcherson were the 2 pharmacists at the time in sundries. Don was loud, brash and loved a good practical joke, even if it was played on him. Gordon was quiet and reserved, but once you got to know him you found out he had a wicked sense of humor.
As for all the sleeping around bit, I only slept with one woman that I met there and I'm still sleeping with here today. Didn't see or hear much of that going on at that time.
My father-in-law who also goes by the moniker of Smitty was the watchmaker who serviced all the Smitty's stores jewelry departments at that time.
Yeah, the pizza at the snack bar in #2 was the best! One of the Smith brother's daughter or niece worked in the snack bar in 69-70. Don't recall her name, but she was a real sweetheart.
I am in absolute awe over these postings. I never worked for Smitty's but both my grandmother (jewelry) and great-grandfather (carry-out) worked at #2 in south Scottsdale, I was lucky enough to be in the Easter print ad in 1978. I grew up in that store and continued to shop there until it closed down. I have since moved from that area but still frequently get by there on occasion. Looking at the area now, one could never image that that space held the first all "everything you need and more" store.
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