Friday, June 08, 2007

Do You Remember Going to this Store???



COTTAGE HILLS -- Rana Vallery, whose grandfather, Carlo Monari, opened Monari's Grocery in 1939, supplied these photos to The Telegraph. The store would undergo several renovations and face-lifts throughout the years, eventually becoming Furniture Wholesale Outlet.


The building burned down May 24. Many who came to watch firefighters battle the blaze recalled working at the old grocery store or shopping there. The building most recently housed the furniture store, an auto repair shop and a beauty shop. Fire investigators are trying to determine a cause for the fire.


Here's a snapshot of the Roberts family around 1968. Rana is standing between her dad and mom with little sis, Ranita out in front.

17 Comments:

At Fri Jun 08, 07:07:00 PM CDT, Blogger lois said...

Going to this store after a day at Cottage Hills grade school was as necessary as breathing.They had the best candy (my personal favorite, Bonomo's turkish taffy!) and anything else a person could want.There was no "two kids in the store at a time" rule either.We all piled in there and took our time making our selection. Everyone knew the Monari's and the Roberts. Very nice people and all a part of good childhood memories for me.

 
At Fri Jun 08, 08:21:00 PM CDT, Blogger Carla said...

WOW! Does that store bring back memories. I remember staying all night with Rana many times when they still lived behind the store. I always had a good time being around her family. Roy and Lenora were always so good to me.

 
At Sun Jun 10, 12:57:00 PM CDT, Blogger Talk said...

Yer excused....lol....I remember Mom shopping at Monari's & there was a Brownie's Meat Market somewhere....Meadowbrook, I think...and Tri City...kinda across from the Quality Dairy where we all liked the ice cream and Krogers....guess they stil have Krogers in Mississippi...Lynn's been here for 4 years & still calls our local Albertsons Kroger......;-D I also remember sitting in the car with my grandmother waiting at 5 in the parking lot across from the 'Western'....Olin powder mill...& everyone coming out after work and lighting cigarettes....

 
At Sun Jun 10, 02:48:00 PM CDT, Blogger lois said...

Brownies market was right across the street from where Myers Welding is/was now.It was a gas station back in the day I think. Brownies was on the corner of 140 (known as MacArthur) and S. Williams Street in Cottage Hills.

I remember getting Banana Flips there.
Think you got your stash of flips there Talk?

 
At Sun Jun 10, 03:16:00 PM CDT, Blogger Rich Hendrix said...

What was the name of the little store on the corner of Harvel and 140...think it was Harvel??

 
At Sun Jun 10, 03:21:00 PM CDT, Blogger lois said...

ah Rich..now you're getting past my border and you know what a good kid I was...I never ventured past my border unless I was travelin' East.
(was it the pink store?)

 
At Sun Jun 10, 05:38:00 PM CDT, Blogger Carla said...

My Dad worked for Tri City Grocery for 26 years until they went out of business and Shop-n-Save took over the East Alton location. After Tri City closed I remember shopping at Kroger when Larry C. worked there. We have Krogers here in the Savannah area.

 
At Sun Jun 10, 09:16:00 PM CDT, Blogger Sheri Shoff said...

Kroger's was the place for my mom. We used to enjoy a treat at Seibold's bakery too. I need to know if anyone craves the root beer stands we used to have in Wood River? There's a couple still open; one by the Wood River high school and pool area, and one by the refineries in Roxana. None of us will forget about Dog N Suds, but what was the name of the old drive in with the best burgers in Wood River...was it the corner by 9th St hill?

 
At Mon Jun 11, 08:15:00 AM CDT, Blogger Linda Kaye Lack said...

Sheri,
That was Beacon Drive-inn. Bobbi Hanie and I hung out there alot. She had a crush on one of the guys working there. Alos, I drove my Willys jeep and the guys loved it.
What fun we had back then. Linda

 
At Tue Jun 12, 12:14:00 AM CDT, Blogger Talk said...

I mostly remember bananna flips from the little store....but probably scored any I could get.....;-)....& Bro Sam worked w/ LC at Krogers, I think.... I always liked Brahm's(sp?) root beer stand out by Stanley Rd?....I think....by Forest Homes, kinda..I amaze myself I can remember some of these names of streets and stuff....but it was painted orange.....& the one across from Wood River High is where my folks hung out in their day, I think...
Linda!....I got a Willy's too....a 1960 wagon....that hasn't been farmerized...;-)....pretty original w/ the "Willy's Super Hurricane" flathead 6 engine.....was a blast to take huntin'.....you'd be back in the sticks in some ruts.....& see pretty paint on the side of a tree & know it was someone's new pickup had been against it....the Willy's had the 'push off' bumpers...kept ya right of a those trees....lol

 
At Tue Jun 12, 12:17:00 AM CDT, Blogger Talk said...

anybody remember John's Donut Shop?.....I think it was on Wood River Avenue...may ahve been gone by the time we got into HS......John wore a sailer's cap & had huge arms w/ tattoos....you could go in & watch him makin' donuts...he had the best jelly donuts I ever had...here we are talkin' food again.....;-)

 
At Tue Jun 12, 01:34:00 AM CDT, Blogger BillRobinson said...

Talk, I remember John's donuts that was one of my favorite places to go as a kid, that and the dairy down in east Alton, they had the best ice cream

 
At Thu Jun 14, 10:15:00 PM CDT, Anonymous Anonymous said...

There was also the ice cream place in Cottage Hills on 140 that was run by the Thuerkoffs.

 
At Sat Jun 16, 10:07:00 AM CDT, Blogger Talk said...

yeah.....I remember Thuerkoff's ice cream stand too.......my Dad always liked to make...and eat, of course....home made ice cream.....got a few hours experience on the crank end of ice cream freezers.....;-D

 
At Sat Jun 16, 03:53:00 PM CDT, Blogger Carla said...

Funny that many of our childhood memories have to do with food and food places. From peanutbutter sandwiches and chili to icecream. Ha! Has anyone else noticed that?

 
At Mon Jun 18, 09:04:00 AM CDT, Blogger LindaWright said...

Food is powerful in our memories since we can associate it with tastes and smells as well as the visual images!

I remember the Dari Palace in Bethalto on the corner of Prairie and Bethalto Blvd. They sold 7 hamburgers for a $1 and you could get a gallon of root beer in a glass bottle.

I remember going to the Starlight Drive-in Theatre with a bag of hamburgers and a gallon of root beer tucked away in the back of the car and worried that the box office person would find us out and refuse us entrance since we brought our own snacks. I'm such a criminal.

 
At Wed Aug 01, 09:55:00 PM CDT, Blogger WendyB said...

I remember stopping frequently at Monari's - having an account for groceries (no charge card - all you did was sign your name next to the amount). Also remember Frank's, right next to Kutter Brothers Hardware - that was our bus stop when we went over to WTJHS and CMHS - best penny candy in town!

 

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