Clarence Saunders
1851-1953
Like it or not, going to the grocery store is part of everyone's life, but if it weren't for Clarence Saunders the whole experience would be very different than we know it today. Mr. Saunders is the man who created Piggly Wiggly, the first grocery store to offer such innovations as self-service shopping, refrigerated produce cases, and national brand advertising. His idea was to streamline the whole shopping process, making it much easier for shopper and grocer alike.
Mr. Saunders opened the first Piggly Wiggly store at 79 Jefferson in downtown Memphis in 1916. His store grew in popularity, and Piggly Wiggly quickly became a group of independent franchises. Today, the Piggly Wiggly Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fleming Companies, Inc., the largest grocery wholesaler in the United States. Piggly Wiggly stores can be found throughout the country, particularly in the Southeast.
By 1929, Piggly Wiggly was the second largest group of grocery stores in the nation. However, due to a legal dispute with the New York Exchange, Saunders had to declare bankruptcy. However, this did not deter Clarence Saunders; he went on to create two other store chains "Owner of my Own Name" stores, and Kedoozle, the first automated, mechanical self service grocery store.
Memphis can also thank Clarence Saunders for the Pink Palace Museum, which was originally designed to be his dream home. The museum derives its name from the mansion's ornate pink Georgian marble facade. Mr. Saunders began building the house in the early 1920's, but after declaring bankruptcy the unfinished building was given to the city to use as a museum in the late 1920's. Today, the Pink Palace Museum is treasured by Memphians for its wide-ranging collection of historic, educational, and technological attractions.
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