As excerpted from TRACES Magazine, Fall 2009, The Shapiro's Story, by Douglas Wissing....."The Shapiro's were soon in Indianapolis. With the five hundred dollars they'd brought from Odessa, the Shapiros opened a small store. But the little business could not provide a living for the family, so while Rebecca ran the grocery, Louis took work at the downtown Star Store, where a falling box injured his throat. The worst was yet to come. During his medical treatment, the doctors discovered Louis was suffering with tuberculosis, which required months-long treatment at the National Jewish Hospital for Consumptives in Denver."
"My mother had to support six kids," Sylvia recounted. "She had a wagon, and she went door to door selling pound bags of ground coffee." Rebecca bought freshly ground coffee from a south side wholesale roaster, hauling her goods to her customers with a pushcart. "She had such a big clientele, when my father came back to Indianapolis, he immediately bought a horse and wagon," noted Sylvia. An early picture shows the properly dressed Louis with his oldest daughter, Fanny, beside him in the wagon with a handsome gray in the traces. The elegant lettering on the wagon read, "Teas and Coffees. L. Shpiro. 1032 S Illinois St. 9965 both phones."
In 1912 the Indianapolis City Directory recorded a big move: It listed "Shapiro, Louis, grocer 808 S Meridian," a location that has remained Shapiro's to this day."
We are very proud to be a part of this history at Shapiro's. Take a look at our photos in the dining room the next time you find yourself dining in downtown Indianapolis. They are the real deal!
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