TUCKER’S STORE

Albion was once dotted with numerous neighborhood grocery and convenience stores in the early 20th century. This was during the time when our factories were booming and residents didn’t always have the time to walk downtown to the “big name”stores such as A & P, Kroger, and Piggly Wiggly. I’ve got very few photographs of these stores and am always appreciative when someone brings me a photo of one.

This week we are presenting one such neighborhood establishment, Tucker’s Store. It was located at 1018 N. Albion St. in a small building erected for that purpose next to the main house. It was operated by William (1891-1947) and Lucille (Israel) (1905-1956) Tucker. Mr. Tucker, a native of Natchez, Mississippi, came to work at the Albion Malleable Iron Company during World War I. He was an accomplished baseball player and played on local black baseball teams for many years. He was also a veteran of World War I and appears in that 1919 panoramic photograph of Albion’s World War I veterans.

The Tucker’s Store was in existence only during the 1930s. It was more of a private neighborhood convenience store rather than a full-service grocery, and does not appear in the city directories. Tucker’s mostly sold canned goods, candy, soda pop and snacks, but no meat or fresh vegetables. The family determined their endeavor was not profitable, and so they turned it into a small rental apartment by the 1940s. The structure has since long been demolished.

From our Historical Notebook this week we present a 1946 photograph of Tucker’s Store after it had been closed. How many of our readers have photographs of Albion neighborhood grocery stores? Special thanks to Dr. James Curtis for providing information for this week’s article.

	Frank Passic — Albion Historian An Albion native and 1971 graduate of Albion High School, Frank Passic has been researching and writing Albion history since 1976. He is the creator of the Albion Historical Notebook, with hundreds of articles appearing weekly in the Morning Star and The Recorder. Frank maintains an extensive personal archive including Riverside Cemetery records, family surname files, genealogies, photographs, city directories, and high school yearbooks. Support his 2026 research at the Historic Albion Michigan Facebook page. Historical Notebook \| From the Archives \| Subject List \| 100 Years Ago \| Alphabetical Index \| Frank Passic Home Page \| Albion History Books \| Contact Frank
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