Schmidt’s Food Market, located at 2299 West Grand River Avenue in Okemos, Michigan, was designed by the Lansing, Michigan-based firm of Manson, Jackson & Kane, Inc.
This store was the fourth Schmidt’s supermarket in the Lansing, Michigan area. At that time it was hailed as one of the “area’s most modern super markets,” and featured modern conveniences such as air conditioning and automatic doors. The Schmidt’s company marketed their new store as “the store of tomorrow… today,” and declared it was the “utlimate in modern design.”
The Schmidt’s company had its beginnings in 1919, when Paul Schmidt returned home from World War One to open a small meat market. In 1921 he partnered with his brother, Albert F. Schmidt, to open the first Schmidt’s grocery store. Thereafter, the company expanded throughout the Lansing area, adding stores in Jackson and DeWitt. Throughout the 1980s competition forced the company to consolidate, and by the early 1990s the last two stores were sold to a local competitor.
A Barnes & Noble store moved into the Okemos building in 1991. The company added books to the grocery cart of the “distinctive” nine-foot high “woman shopper” sign that stands in front of the building. The four-foot high SCHMIDT’S letters, that adorned the front windows, were also removed.
Since 2002 Playmakers, a locally-owned fitness outfitter, has called the former Schmidt’s Food Market home.
SOURCES
Souhrada, P. (1993 April 18). Shop-Rite Buys Last Schmidt’s. Lansing State Journal, p. 1F. Lansing, MI.
The State Journal. (1958 January 26). New Schmidt Store Ready for Opening. The State Journal. Lansing, MI.
The State Journal. (1958 January 26). The Store of Tomorrow… Today. The State Journal, p. 13. Lansing, MI.
This photo brings back many good memories. My grandfather was Albert Schmidt, my
mother was Pauline Schmidt. I worked at this store and several other Schmidts stores
all through high school along with many of my cousins. It was a great time.
My aunt and uncle used to shop at the Schmidt’s on W. Saginaw. My aunt would go there with her son, who was only about 3 at the time (this would’ve been around 1984), but he could read well for his age. You had the option of going out to your car and driving up to the store to pick up your grocery order. They gave you a plastic disc with a number on it. My aunt would hand that disc to her son to give to the employee. On the disc, in addition to the number, were the words “no tipping”. The kid would hold the disc at various angles and ask “why can’t you tip this?”