Hoot, hoot, what happened to Red Owl? Here in the Midwest they were the big grocery store chain in the sixties, seventies, and eightees. Suddenly they pretty much disappeared. Red Owl started as a coal investment firm associated with General Mills in 1922 and then they quickly got into the grocery business. Mom remembers going to the Red Owl grocery store with her mom to shop when she was growing up.
Red Owl got into the grocery business and expanded across the Midwest with some four hundred forty stores. The headquarters was in Hopkins, coincidentally, just a couple miles from where Mom grew up! In 1986, the chain became privately owned again but then in 1988 Supervalu took it over and before long the hoot of the Red Owl completely disappeared.
Completely isn’t actually the case as there is still one original Red Owl in Green Bay, Wisconsin. As you can see, we visited the store. Being dogs we could not go inside, but Mom did. It is a family business and has been since it opened. Mom felt a bit funny taking photos inside but she did take a few.
They have some old spices which Mom remembers seeing in the kitchen when she was growing up.
Some old signs hang on the walls too. Red Owl stores were featured a lot in the Mary Tyler Moore Show which took place in the Twin Cities.
The store is old, and the neighborhood is not the best. They do sell short and long sleeve t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats, probably to make some extra money. Mom bought one. The store does make her happy remembering shopping at the Wayzata Red Owl with Gramma when she was growing up.
Fifty seven years in business and the one and only surviving store of what used to be a big chain is pretty amazing. We are glad we made the stop. Buying a couple shirts and putting them the blog, maybe we will get them another customer or two? If you are in Green Bay, look them up and give them a hoot!
My GBGV Life is joining Comedy Plus for Awww Monday.