Harper’s Pharmacy and Bettendorf’s Supermarket
According to Rosemary Davison’s 1982 community profile of Maplewood, in 1913 Harper's Pharmacy first opened for business in the turreted building on the NW corner of Sutton and Hazel. In 1912, Will. H. Harper was listed as living at 7373 Flora. The pictured ad is from a 1916 Maplewood Champion newspaper.
The present Cape/ Harper building, 2618 Sutton at Maple was constructed between 1924 and 1927. Will’s grandson also William was the last operator of the business which had morphed into a photography supply store and was still operating in 1982.
In 1929, Joe Bettendorf who is credited with bringing the supermarket concept to the St. Louis area opened his first store at 2616 Sutton. Unfortunately his desire to create ample parking space for his customer’s cars caused the demolition of Dr. Cape’s graceful home on the SE corner of Sutton and Hazel.
The Cape/Harper/Bettendorf complex is empty once again. There is a For Sale sign on the northernmost building of the two which once held Bettendorf’s. The Harper’s Pharmacy portion of the buildings still contains an amazing amount of the original cabinetry. The interior was most recently opened for viewing during the Let Them Eat Art event July 13th. If you missed that, go press your nose up against glass. This interior is a step back in time. Maplewood residents who care about this sort of thing and there are many of us should hope that the next tenants will be respectful of this beautiful relic from our past.
Diane Watkins
12:44 pm on Monday, September 17, 2012
This is a beautiful building. I hope someone will move in and renovate. I remember as a child, my mother filling prescriptions and also dropping off film to be developed. This is truly a step back in time!
Jill Schwieger
9:21 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2012
As a child I lived on Maple Ave, just about a block from Harper's and Bettendorf's. What wonderful memories I have of both places! I remember buying rolls of Lifesavers for a nickel, from a display right in front of those beautiful dark wood shelves near the front of the store. And Bettendorf's was a two-floor grocery. After shopping downstairs in the basement level, you removed the basket from your cart, removed the numbered tag identifying it, and placed it on a conveyor belt which carried it upstairs for you. Upstairs you matched your number, claimed your basket, placed it on a new cart, and continued your shopping. I don't think I've ever seen another grocery set up like that!
And in the late 60's/early 70's, The grocery location was home to Pier One....I believe the first one. However, it was not much like the upscale store of today. It was filled with very cheap imported items, which meant a lot of fun shopping for us young families with not much spending cash....HA!
I hope someone makes good use of these treasures of Maplewood history!
Doug Houser
9:57 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2012
I appreciate the folks who are kind enough to share their memories. I copy the text and save it to the appropriate file. It ultimately winds up in our Maplewood Library's collection.
I'm posting a few photos related to Ms. Schweiger's memory. Much thanks. DH
Maplewood4Me
6:05 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
I do still love looking in the windows @ Haper's Pharmacy. It takes me back in time. Thanks Doug for the wonderful stories you give us reminding us of the history of Maplewood and to stop and take the time to enjoy it and keep preserving it. Thank you!
Doug Houser
9:19 am on Friday, October 26, 2012
My pleasure, Sara. We owe a debt to the folks who've made their family photos available to us all, in this case, members of the Harper family. Many of the photos I post were collected by the Renaissance Society for the 75th anniversary of the City of Maplewood. The Maplewood Public Library deserves a big hand for the preservation of these images and items related to our community history.