Grafman Grocery Store
A Milwaukee family run grocery store from 1914 to 1947. Interior photograph is from 1929.
Grafman Grocery Store (1929) by Chudnow MuseumChudnow Collection at the Cedarburg History Museum
Jenny and Henry Grafman, purchased the stock, equipment and goodwill for $700 in 1914. It was located at 603 W. Vliet Street in Milwaukee.
Food Administration Member Certificate - Henry Grafman
Yearly re-certification was required of all grocery stores. This is still carried over today with many over-seeing organizations for health, safety and tax purposes. This is just one of several original certificates the Chudnow Museum holds for the Grafman Grocery Store.
Grafman Grocery Store (1929) by Chudnow MuseumChudnow Collection at the Cedarburg History Museum
Daughters Anita and Harriet (pictured) helped at the store as they grew older. The whole family lived above it.
Many Local Milwaukee brands were sold at the store, like these Johnston cookies.
Johnston Cookie Company of Milwaukee
A popular local and regional brand, older generations still fondly recall Johnston cookies and their factory. Some remember the Milwaukee Braves baseball cards or the Girl Scout cookies they made, both from the 1950s. Most remember they large sacks of broken and trial cookies they sold at the factory for just a nickel or a quarter!
Grafman Grocery Store (1929) by Chudnow MuseumChudnow Collection at the Cedarburg History Museum
Popular nation-wide brands were also sold at the small store. Travelers from everywhere become loyal customers of these still popular products.
Quaker Oatmeal, a Breakfast Staple
In 1877, Quaker Oats of Ohio become the first registered breakfast cereal in America. Their branded "figure of a man in Quaker garb" hasn't changed too much over the years. Although it is now just the head. The fonts and color scheme are also remarkably similar. When a customer becomes used to a product look, large changes might make it difficult for them to find on the store shelves.
Grafman Grocery Store (1929) by Chudnow MuseumChudnow Collection at the Cedarburg History Museum
Palmolive soap, seen here above the Gold Dust soap, began in 1898 as a brand of the B.J. Johnson Soap Company of Milwaukee.
B. J. Johnson and Company Soaps
Established in 1877, the B. J. Johnson & Company manufactured soap and related products. An entire family line of soaps as seen here was produced from the pumice soap to remove stubborn factory grime to the gentle facial soap made from olive oil, palm oil and cocoa butter. This green soap, named Palmolive, became the company's largest brand and the eventual name for the business. In 1923 they merged with Peet and eventually with Colgate in 1928, moving this Milwaukee business down to Chicago.
Grafman Grocery Store (1929) by Chudnow MuseumChudnow Collection at the Cedarburg History Museum
A short metal rectangle containing Red Star Yeast, another local Milwaukee brand that's gone big.
Red Star Yeast
Red Star Yeast has been at the center of home baking for generations. Eating cakes of yeast used to be recommended by many doctors as a digestion aid. Besides dough yeast, they also make reliable styles for fermenting wine and champagne. Their factory in Milwaukee closed in 2005, although they are still headquartered here.
Chudnow Museum of Yesteryear
Museum Curator:
Joel Willems
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