Kroger Company by Pat Sides

In late January 1950, large newspaper advertisements announced the opening of a new Kroger supermarket at 300 North Main Street, the third Kroger store to open in Evansville. By mid-century, small, independently-owned butcher shops, bakeries, and other specialty stores were disappearing as national supermarket chains such as Kroger became popular. They offered self-service, pre-packaged meats, frozen foods and other amenities under one roof, and shoppers also enjoyed such innovative conveniences as wide aisles, shopping carts, and electric doors. Kroger still operated stores in Lawndale, North Park, and at the Westside Plaza when the chain left Evansville in 1973. The building pictured here is now home to an industrial electronics store.