Whatnot Wednesday & CFFC Vintage Food Market Photos

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

October 22, 2025

2 ginger cats ordering food at computer by Teagan via Night Cafe

Hello, everyone. Welcome to Whatnot Wednesday.  I hope your week has been good so far.  It wouldn’t be a “Whatnot” without the Scoobies.  Although, those two cats are being lazy today.  This year, Daphne has taken to occupying the hammock that’s beside my desk-chair whenever I work at the computer. That’s her below, supervising me.

Daphne in hammock

Velma’s frequent hangout throughout this summer has been the chair in the spare room (and it’s still getting into the 80s (F) here so feline habits in this household have not changed).

2025-10-21 Velma chair
“Why did you wake me up?”

The Human in Scooby Land

My novel in progress is going slowly.  (Makes sardonic Lucy-face) I guess that’s fitting since I started writing it in 2019.  I had this quirky “atompunk” story idea.  However, I was also using it as sort of a therapeutic exercise to write a happier ending to my own childhood and better beginning to adulthood.  Unfortunately, that made it extremely difficult for me on an emotional/mental level, and I put it away in 2020.  Now, it’s my mission to finish it… and it’s as difficult as ever.  I keep procrastinating.  Although I procrastinate productively — I’m concurrently (with the novel) working on a nonfiction book that’s sort of a companion volume to the atompunk novel.

CFFC — Places that sell food

 On Monday, Dan Antion posted this week’s “Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge” (CFFC).   I can’t get out to take photographs.  However, the topic was “retail places that sell food,” and I was intrigued.   When I write stories and books, I almost always include food, because I make a point of trying to use the five senses. 

Woman shopping at A&P supermarket, Pennsylvania c.1935 Getty
Shopping at the A&P, Pennsylvania c 1935

So, I was surprised to realize that I’ve only included the markets where food is purchased a few times.  In my steampunk novel The Alchemist and the Woman in Trousers, the characters could get food and other things at Best’s General Store.  In my modern-day urban fantasy series the Atonement, TN characters (Atonement, a Quirky Magical Town) shop at the “Hogley Wogley” grocery store (you can guess what store inspired that name).  Although I think those are the only markets I’ve named. 

Anyway, an idea popped into my mind for a way to participate — I’ve collected photos taken at supermarkets of past decades.  I hope you enjoy this little time-machine post.  All aboard!

Grocery Stores of Yesteryear

With the photo a couple of paragraphs above we stopped in Pennsylvania of 1935 to pick up some oranges — at 37¢ (not sure if that’s each or per pound).  No bags, just let ’em roll around in your little cart.  Based on my research, I think that’s a tin of Anglo Corned Beef in the shopping cart (SPAM didn’t exist yet).  Get back into the time machine.  We have other decades to visit.

Kroger meat fish dept Wisconsin 1943 Getty
Kroger meat fish dept Wisconsin 1943 Getty

We’ve arrived in Wisconsin of 1943.  At the Kroger meat and fish department (above) we can pick up some sliced halibut at 38¢ per pound and dressed herring at just 12¢.

Bergs Supermarket Iowa c 1950 Wikimedia Commons
Bergs Supermarket, Iowa c 1950

Now to Iowa in 1950.  Are you in the mood for something savory?  Berg’s had a well-stocked deli department with cheeses and sausages of all sorts.

Piggly Wiggly Denver 1955 Getty
Piggly Wiggly, Denver 1955

Did you miss something on your grocery list?  No worries.  We’ll pop over to 1955 Denver, Colorado.  You can pick it up at the Piggly Wiggly.

Winn Dixie Louisiana 1961
Winn Dixie Louisiana 1961

Just a quick jaunt in the time machine to 1961 shows that Louisiana also had some nice Winn Dixie stores.

Publix, Florida 1965

You can’t find palm trees in the parking lot at just any supermarket, but you can in 1965 Florida at the Publix!

Winn Dixie Jacksonville, FL 1979 Getty
Winn Dixie Jacksonville, Florida 1979

The time machine stayed in Florida (it must have liked the palm trees) but now it’s 1979 and we’re at the Winn Dixie.  That sure is a space-age entrance. 
It’s time to get back to 2025.  

♣ ♦ ♠ ♥

Bad Moon Rising

Don’t forget all the great books and authors being showcased each day of October at Teri Polen’s Bad Moon Rising.  It isn’t just books.  Most authors are giving away free books. Authors also answer fun questions.  I was there October 6th.  Click here for my questions and answers.

Other authors you might know this week included:

Darlene Foster:  Have you ever played with a Ouija board? Click over for the answer.

 Thanks for visiting.  Friendly comments are encouraged.  Hugs!

♣ ♦ ♠ ♥

Naturally, the obligatory shameless self-promotion must be included. 

Dead of Winter Omnibus: All the Journeys

Dead of Winter Omnibus: All the Journeys

The 14 Journeys (novellas) of Dead of Winter in one volume.  Unfortunately, not available in paperback.

Universal Purchase link (e-book only):  relinks.me/B0FP9XL46J

Audiobook:  relinks.me/B0FPB2L9WV

Copyright © 2025 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

All images are either the property of the author or from Pinterest unless stated otherwise.

51 thoughts on “Whatnot Wednesday & CFFC Vintage Food Market Photos”

  2. Teagan, I always enjoy visiting your world — there’s such a wonderful blend of imagination, history, and heart in everything you share. I love how you weave food, memory, and story together; it brings such warmth and texture to your writing. I’m glad to hear you’re revisiting your atompunk novel. Sometimes the most meaningful stories take the longest to emerge. They wait until we’re ready to meet them again. Sending hugs on speedy wings to you and the Scoobies!!

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    1. You are so kind, Rebecca — thank you. I left that story at about 400 pages… I just couldn’t see the ending. Maybe that’s because the true past I wanted to rewrite is still… I can’t think of a good description… unresolved? Justice was never found? I still can’t see the story’s end, and I’m totally procrastinating! LOL. Thanks for your encouragement. Hugs on the wing.

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      1. “Shrink-flation,” I like that word. Yes, the old cars, the ones where you didn’t have to wear seat belts because the possibility of getting hurt in an accident was very low, I like those too. You’re so welcome, Teagan.

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        1. I love the automobiles from the late 1920s through the 60s. There was a broader variety of shapes, and they were much more attractive to me than modern vehicles. They had flare, style.

          “Shrink-flation” is a term I heard from an economist in an interview several years ago. It’s spot-on. Cheers.

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    2. I wondered the same thing, but didn’t spend extra time to dig into it. There are completely different stores, gas stations, supermarkets, etc in different parts of the country, but I haven’t seen any of them out here in NM. Although, I can’t really get out and about, so I’m no authority. Thanks for opening this door. Hugs.

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    1. Hi, Kerfe. I love old cars. I’ve wondered similarly about the clothes of people in photos of the early 60s and decades before. I tend to think who dressed up depended on their financial situation. Although I think the woman in the 1935 photo was likely a model rather than an ordinary shopper. The photo just has that feeling about it. Thanks for visiting. Hugs.

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  7. The time travel through all those supermarkets made me hungry for more, Teagan. I remember those kind of stores fondly, part of much simpler times. Even the big chains at the time still had a small-town feel. I am rooting for you to pick up the pace on “atompunk” and its companion piece. I have experienced procrastination, but have learned to work on/take on the project that will be the hardest as soon as I can in the day, so not only does the rest of the day have easier stuff to achieve, but I’ve checked the box already on the very most difficult item on the list. I am sure the Scoobies will help you with your to-do list!

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    1. I’m sorry, Bruce — I only just now found your comment in the spam folder. It must have been getting stuffy in there. 😉 Well said about the old supermarkets. I agree.

      It’s really a different kind of procrastination when C-PTSD is part of it, but heartfelt thanks for your encouragement. I agree about tackling it in the morning — I’ve also been telling myself that. I start doing “priorities” or things that should “only take a moment” first and then… you know. However, I’ve now given myself permission, that it’s okay if I only work on it for a little while each day. Small bursts of self-torture are easier. LOL. It’s a quirky fun story with characters that I enjoy hanging out with, so that helps keep me going with it, even if it’s only half an hour a day. (Though I aim for longer.) Have a splendid weekend. Hugs.

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  9. So, that was a bit of time travel fun, Teagan. It’s an  exposé of inflation.

    It was also evident how photography has improved over the years.

    The Scoobies are absolutely adorable, the cutest, ever!

    HUGS!

    Will get back to emails, soon!)

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    1. Hi, Resa. Yes, I couldn’t help seeing the price increases in the photos. That sent me down a fruitless rabbit hole, trying to find photos (even old sale ad photos) that showed the price of the same kind of item in several decades (like the oranges in the 1935 photo). I wasted a couple of hours doing that before I just gave up.

      It’s interesting to compare things in the photos that were different as time went on — and even more so to realize how much looks very similar — like produce displays, and the cases at meat/fish counters. Yes they look smoother now, but still remarkably the same from the 1940s photo to now. And of course, the clothes. In cold weather everyone wore long wool coats, which also made it seem like they were more dressed up, just for grocery shopping (whether or not they may have been under the coat). Thanks for visiting. Hugs winging back to you.

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    1. Hi, Marian. Yeah… I shared a good deal about that story when I started writing it — and that turned out to be a big mistake. Blogging about works in progress is always a gamble… So I’m trying to be tight lipped about it this time and I’m also rebranding it as atompunk (which it always was). Anyhow, about atompunk, think steampunk, but in the 1950s or 60s, with appropriately punked 50s to 60s technology, and of course the requisite quirkiness and misfit characters. I’ll be coy and say that the companion book is *not* a slang dictionary. (Yes, Speak Daddy-O is still in progress, but this other non-dictionary took priority.) Hugs to you and the kitties.

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    1. Thanks, Noelle. I’m happy that you had a good time here. Now that would be an interesting research tangent — how Piggly Wiggly got its name. That was the main grocery store in the town where I grew up. To my endless mortification as a young girl, my father insisted on calling it the Hoggly Woggly. LOL. Hugs.

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      2. Got it! While riding a train, the founder of the store, Clarence Saunders, allegedly saw a group of little pigs “wiggl[ing]” to get under a fence. The rhyming name “Piggly Wiggly” then came to him. 

        Saunders also reportedly stated that he chose the name so that people would ask about it. The unusual and memorable name was a clever marketing strategy that ensured people would talk about his stores

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    1. Ah! Now that you mention it, I remember you saying something about Procter and Gamble somewhere. I’m delighted that you enjoyed this, John. I had to dig for the photos, and look even harder to find out where they were taken. I was lucky to find a variety of decades and locations. Big hugs.

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  14. It’s always nice to see the Scoobies, Teagan. I know what it’s like to write under the supervision of a cat. They are hard to impress as I recall.

    I love the photos you shared. Just look at the woman in the first photo – all decked out for shopping. Some of the men and women I see in the grocery stores these days looked like they just crawled out of bed. The photos remind me of tagging along with my mother as she took her mother shopping every Friday night at the A&P. One of the cashiers was my Sunday School teacher, and she’d always ask if I had completed the assignment. I think I always said I was working on it but not done. Thanks for joining us for CFFC!

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    1. Thanks, Dan — I’m happy you enjoyed this. That 1961 Winn-Dixie in New Orleans looks a lot like the Piggly Wiggly of my hometown. My memories of that store are from when I was about 5 or 6 years old, so that Winn-Dixie was several years ahead of my town.
      Daphne really is affectionate, so I’m lucky that she’s content to stay in her hammock while I work — and not climb all over the computer (or me) wanting attention. Velma isn’t even interested and stays in another room– until she wants attention. LOL. Hugs.

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  15. Wow! I love the images, Teagan. The shopping trolleys are fantastic, and there are some pretty amazing-looking supermarkets as well. I’ve seen nothing like it around here, for sure. Oh, and thanks for the update on the Scoobies. If Daphne gets tired of supervising you when you work (it seems she is doing a good job), I might be able to find her some supervising around here as well, although I think she’d be in high demand, I am sure! Take care and good luck with all your work!

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    1. Grocery shopping across the world is a fascinating study, Olga. Haha, Daphne really is affectionate, so I’m lucky that she’s content to stay in her hammock while I work — and not climb all over the computer (or me) wanting attention. Big hugs from both Scoobies and me.

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