In her thesis \u201cPhiladelphia Corner Stores: Their History, Use, and Preservation\u201d<\/a> Lynn Miriam Alpert pointed out how this vernacular urban genre stands \u201cin stark contrast to the concentrations of commercial structures in shopping districts,\u201d and yet is still part and parcel of the city\u2019s rowhouse neighborhoods. Alpert relays that the corner store played an essential role in the employment of women. (In San Francisco at the start of the 20th<\/sup> century, \u201cninety percent of female grocers lived at the same address as their stores, allowing them to remain at home while also earning a living.\u201d) And we learn that despite the fact that \u201cPhiladelphia\u2019s historic row house neighborhoods have undergone intense changes since their creation,\u201d corner stores still play \u201can active role in the vibrance and vitality\u201d of their communities. They served as economic drivers.<\/p>\n Indeed. The Bodega Association of the United States<\/a> confirms that in 2002 alone, the small grocery stores in New York City \u201cgenerated annual sales of over $7 billion and provided over 65,000 jobs with an annual payroll estimated at $750 million.\u201d And when undocumented workers are factored in, \u201cthe actual number of jobs and the aggregate payroll may be closer to twice the official figures.\u201d<\/p>\n When we consider the story of immigration in urban America, the corner store was and remains an essential and compelling feature in the community. According to Fernando Mateo<\/a>, the neighborhood store faced the onslaught of competition brought on by the supermarket, survived, and to this day serves as a gathering spot, a place \u201cwhere people get together and go over their daily news, and…become part of their communities.\u201d<\/p>\n The story of the modest corner store in Philadelphia is part and parcel of a robust, inclusive narrative. Yet, with all of our collective interest in place, in food, in identity and in the life and character of our communities, there is no corner store museum.<\/em><\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s time to change that.<\/p>\n I mean, what better way would there be to connect community and memory?<\/p>\n 1). Southwest Corner or Gratz and York Streets<\/a>, Ed Bonnem Prime Meats, May 4, 1905<\/p>\n 2).\u00a0Southwest Corner 7th and Porter Streets<\/a>, April 6, 1960<\/p>\n 3.) Northwest Corner, 17th Street and Washington Avenue<\/a>, February 7, 1917<\/p>\n 4.) Southwest Corner, 25th and Kimball Streets<\/a>, May 3, 1916<\/p>\n 5.)\u00a0Northeast Corner, Cumberland and Marshall Streets<\/a>, La Vencedora Groceries, November 9, 1960<\/p>\n 6.)\u00a0\u00a0Trenton and Susquehanna Avenues<\/a>, May 11, 1900<\/p>\n 7.)\u00a0Kimball Street and Grays Ferry Avenue<\/a>, July 30, 1924<\/p>\n 8.)\u00a047th Street and Woodland Avenue<\/a>, Luncheonette, March 28, 1951<\/p>\n 9.)\u00a043rd and Pine Streets<\/a>. The Great Atlantic Pacific Tea Company, August 21, 1924<\/p>\n 10.)\u00a0Southeast Corner of Spruce and Camac Streets<\/a>, Camac Food Market, March 2, 1959<\/p>\n 11.)\u00a0Northwest Corner, 8th and Moore Streets<\/a>. Milano’s Groceries, November 25, 1949<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/phillyhistory.wpengine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Corner-stores-1-4.jpg\")
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