Salute to Smitty's Big Town

Smitty's #1 in 1991 (courtesy Arizona Republic)

One of the most popular posts on this blog is "Remembering Smitty's," a history of the defunct Phoenix-based retailer that I worked for between June 1994 and August 1997, with additional stints in the summer and Christmas seasons of 1998. Smitty's was an early pioneer of the "superstore" concept, selling a full line of groceries along with an extensive assortment of general merchandise in large stores that included a pharmacy, restaurant, snack bar, candy shop, barber shop, bank, and optical store. The chain met its demise in 1999 when its stores were rebranded as Fred Meyer Marketplace and they now operate under the Fry's Marketplace banner.

The "Remembering Smitty's" post has attracted 20 comments since July 2005, mostly from former employees of the company. I enjoy reading their memories and speculate that many long-time residents of the Valley of the Sun also hold fond recollections of the store that billed itself as "putting it all together for you." It may seem strange that people could be nostalgic about a retailer, but the fast growth of greater Phoenix has led to an ephemeral existence in which change is constant. Since it is a place with few civic and cultural institutions, a sense of history and common culture can only be derived from the commercial landscape of shopping centers, movie theatres, and grocery stores. Now that national retailers like Wal-Mart, Costco, and Home Depot dominate the scene, people recall the uniqueness of a place like Smitty's.

Yesterday's Arizona Republic included an article that remembered the first Smitty's, located at the southeast corner of Buckeye Road and 16th Street in central Phoenix. Smaller than the "supercenters" that would follow, Smitty's "Big Town" #1 was a supermarket that did not sell much general merchandise, though it did include a restaurant. Opening in 1961, the store weathered drastic changes in the neighborhood, as the ongoing expansion of nearby Sky Harbor International Airpot led to the condemnation of hundreds of homes, eroding its customer base. The "Big Town" finally closed its doors a few years before the Smitty's name vanished from the Valley of the Sun.

As reported by the Republic, the site of the original Smitty's will soon be transformed into "Yourland" by developers known for projects that have "attracted Valley hipsters." "Yourland" will include a restaurant, a coffee shop, a building supply store, art and music venues, and an "urban farm." The Smitty's building will be retained, which is surprising considering that most redevelopment requires a "blank slate." The developers hope to incorporate photos of Smitty's #1 as well as the memories of the employees who worked there and the Phoenicians who shopped there. "Big Town" nostalgia should be directed to desk@marthaandmary.net.

Smitty's will always be special to me, as I got my first "real job" bagging groceries there at age 15, moving my way up to other positions over the next few years as I learned the value of good customer service and hard work. I am glad to see that other people have not forgotten Smitty's and its proud history of being Arizona's homegrown "superstore."