![]() Dick Bluhm went on to manage Piggly Wiggly at 204 Fourth St. Knowltons was razed for the 1954 Daytons, and today that building houses Red Lobster and other offices. Bluhm got an early start in the grocery business, carrying groceries up from the lower level of Knowltons big department store on Second Street Southwest and South Broadway. We still have two veteran Piggly Wiggly store managers in Rochester, Dick Bluhm, now in his early 90s, and Richard Prochazka, 82. ![]() Packaging and brand recognition became very important. What made it fun? It was the first self-service grocery story, where customers could choose their products directly. Interesting to note that Piggly Wiggly was founded in 1916 in Memphis, Tenn., by American entrepreneur Charles Saunders. By the early 1960s there were three Piggly Wiggly stores in town. The first store in Rochester was on Fourth Street Southeast next to the Time Theatre in the early 1930s. She’s drawn to the friendliness of employees, who wear “Dig the Pig” T-shirts.Many of us remember the fun of shopping Rochester’s Piggly Wiggly grocery stores. Pat Green faithfully shops in the store at least twice a week. A modest section is devoted to produce and another for the bakery. The Blue Star Highway grocery showcases a cooler section selling typical meats and almost every pig part, from ears to stomach to feet. Roy Moore, who’ll own the Tallahassee store, operates a 28,000 square-foot store 30 minutes away in Quincy. ![]() Piggly Wiggly operates more than 600 stores in 17 states. I realized that I wanted a destination shop opportunity there as well,” said Parks, a longtime resident of Indian Head Acres Neighborhood. “I was struck by people wanting a destination shopping opportunity. While speaking about opportunities they’d like to see in South City, conversations quickly touched on Piggly Wiggly’s arrival. Susan Park, who works with the South City Revitalization Council, said she shared and heard similar concerns during a recent council meeting. “We believe it’s going to help satisfy the food desert that is a very real issue in that area.” “We think the Piggly Wiggly is the perfect fit for the location, and it’s a similar model to the Harveys that was there,” Murray said. Structure Commercial Real Estate, a Tallahassee-based company, finalized the lease. Harveys closed May 2014 - three months after the announcement rocked nearby neighborhoods - due to its proximity to Winn-Dixie on Paul Russell Road.Įd Murray, a principal at NAI TALCOR, which provides commercial management where the 25,000 square-foot Piggly Wiggly is planned, said several retailers were contacted in order to bring an appropriate tenant to the area. Bi-Lo Holdings purchased Harveys, Sweetbay and Reid’s supermarkets in May 2103. The decision trickled down from Southeastern Grocers, Inc., the parent company of BI-LO, Harveys and Winn-Dixie. The answer lies within the workings of big corporate mergers. She questioned how Piggly Wiggly became the top choice. She grew up in Tallahassee, left for the Army and returned last year to find stagnation on the south side compared to explosive growth just miles away in Midtown and along Gaines Street. Hill voiced concerns before a recent Community Redevelopment Agency meeting. “We want it to be an upgrade … It’s not something that I would personally would want there.” “We want Piggly Wiggly to come in with the mindset of a Trader Joe’s or Publix,” said Tifany Hill, a south-side resident and CEO of ModelCall Magazine.
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