History Mystery: Pharmacy offered free ice cream for every child visitor one day a summer
BY DIANE GILES
dgiles@kenoshanews.com
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The last History Mystery question:
Where in the city was Bubien’s Pharmacy?
Answer:
I think last week’s photo quiz stumped more than one person.
The photo seen here depicts the scene on a summer’s day in front of Bubien’s Pharmacy in 1927 or 1928 in Kenosha.
Bubien’s, Sluzynski’s meat market and grocery store and Morris Philips dry good store were on the south side of 50th Street on the corner of 14th Avenue.
Fiftieth Street from the Chicago North Western railroad tracks to 19th Avenue had its own business district prior to 1930 that included about 25 businesses, including bakers, shoemakers, barbers, tailors, butchers, soft drink merchants, dry goods stores, a cigar store and multiple grocers.
Bubien’s Pharmacy came to 537 Middle St. (1347 50th St.) in 1925, and in 1928 or 1929 moved up the street to 1634 50th St.
The photo comes from the family of Patti Pezdir Fonk, whose grandfather, Adolph, founded Sluzynski’s.
Adolph Sluzynski was a baker in 1914 before he opened his IGA (Independent Grocers Alliance) market at 378 Division St. (932 Washington Road) before moving to the Middle Street location in 1921 and remained there until the Great Depression.
In the photo, Patti’s mother, Frances Sluzynski, is standing in the doorway stoop of her parents’ store, much taller than the other kids on the sidewalk.
Frances told Patti that on one day each summer, Bubien’s gave away a free ice cream cone to every child who came into the store. The photo illustrates that day, with more than 100 kids lined up on the sidewalk.
Bubien’s survived at 1634 50th St. until about 1945; by then it became Hansen’s Pharmacy.
Only one business at the intersection still survives — one that has changed hands but still uses the name of the family that began the store: Fonte Foods, 1400 50th St., across the street from where the other businesses once stood.
The Fonte grocery store made its first appearance in the Kenosha City Directory in the 1929 edition.
One other business of note still exists today: Chiappetta Shoes, which was on 50th Street at 17th Avenue for more than 60 years before moving to 6821 39th Ave. It is still owned by the Chiappetta family.
This week’s mystery:
What loomed 145 feet over Columbus Park in the first half of the 20th century?
History Mystery appears weekly in the Kenosha News. The answer to today’s question will run next Tuesday.
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