| STORE HISTORY |
Eisenberg's has been a family owned and operated business since 1932. Opened by
Max Eisenberg (left, center photo) as a small store selling limited
amounts of fresh produce, Eisenberg Fruit was originally located in
Minneapolis. The store was relocated to its current
location in downtown St. Paul in 1937. Max's son Irving (far right
photo) eventually took over the operations of the ever-growing store. The
business overtook numerous expansions in both the physical building and it's
product line.
Without the import markets of today's world, produce sales over the winter
months tended to be very limited. To combat this, Irving began carrying
groceries as well as produce. Much like the outlet stores of today, Eisenberg
Fruit began carrying close-dated, overstocked and slightly damaged merchandise.
By buying these products from wholesalers at a much lower price, Eisenberg's
was able to sell this merchandise at well below regular retail prices.
Merchandise such as charcoal, dog food, flour and canned goods were frequently
sold by the box and by the truckload. In the summertime, Eisenberg's became
famous for it's cheap prices on case goods such as peaches, strawberries, and
pears. To this day, customers drive from as far away as Wisconsin and northern
Minnesota to buy fresh cases of produce to can.
In the early 1970's Irving's son Max began his tenure at Eisenberg Fruit Co.
Under Max's guidance, Eisenberg Fruit has continued its expansion. To better
serve it's customers, Eisenberg's has begun to carry top quality merchandise to
try and fulfill all of its customer's needs. Eisenberg's now carries fresh milk
and eggs, fresh meat, a full line of Coca-Cola products, Frito-Lay products,
Old Dutch, Earthgrains and Natural Ovens breads, as well as other name-brand
products.
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physical expansion has continued as well. In the early 1990's, Eisenberg Fruit
Co., purchased the old Bird and Cronin building located next door and connected
the two buildings. What once was office space and preparations areas, is now
used as retail sales space. From 1993-1997, the inside of Eisenberg Fruit was
completely renovated. What once was old wood paneling, is now brightly painted
walls and glassboard. In the fall of 2003, a beautiful new brick and stucco exterior
replaced the old facade. With the change in the exterior also came a change in
the name of the store. Eisenberg Fruit was replaced by Eisenberg's Market, to
reflect our new and expanding product lines. As the physical characteristics
of Eisenberg Fruit continue to change, so do the names and faces inside.
Max's wife Peggie and son Matthew now work along with Max to
continue the family tradition at Eisenberg's. Upon Max and Peggie's retirement,
Matthew will become the 4th generation to own and operate Eisenberg Fruit Co.
With the injection of new families and neighbors via the redevelopment of the
Northeast Quadrant, Eisenberg Fruit expects to continue to serve it's new
customers as well as it's old ones just as it has for the past 75 years.
(L to R: Max, Peggie, and Matt)
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