The W. P. Swanson Confectionery Era
In 1921, Willie, Clara, and Anton discontinued renting the farm on Hardwood Island and moved into a spacious two-story house in Harris, recently purchased by Anton and situated north of and directly across Brook Street from the First Lutheran Church.1 Along with the house, the property included a full sized barn for their dairy herd, which Willie and Anton pastured on limited acreage along Goose Creek north and west of the farmstead, a coup for their flock of chickens, a granary, a woodshed, and a privy. The granary, a sizable building, possibly also designed to function as a horse stable, eventually became a single car garage with extensive storage areas. Although insufficient land existed for crops …show more content…
Although Clara possibly entered into the conversation with a guarded skepticism as to Inez’s motivation, the interview probably elevated to a cordial discussion as Clara pleasantly recalled events concerning the confectionery. Nonetheless, it ended with a contentious and unsettled issue, the price of Clara’s restaurant meals. Each woman stubbornly refused to concede her position, with Inez an advocate for a thirty-five cent sale price and Clara defending her claim of thirty cents. As the author, Inez reported the price at thirty-five cents. According to Clara’s account, the Palmer Café, a traditional diner and the only other restaurant in town, did sell their meals for thirty-five cents. Nevertheless, Clara’s meals sold for thirty cents, undercutting the Palmer Café by a nickel, giving her an unmistakable advantage during the depression years.14 An incident, part of our family’s oral history, illustrates the rivalry between the two establishments. Earl Palmer, the proprietor of Palmer’s Café, came into the confectionery to discuss the possibility of raising prices. After Bill’s ardent refusal to cooperate in the collusion of pricing, the discussion rashly escalated into an argument, which abruptly concluded when Mr. Palmer, in a fit of anger, slammed his fist down upon a glass display case with such force the glass broke. Consequently, Bill promptly escorted him off the premises.15 Neither Bill nor Clara could repudiate the price in the Harris Centennial article, since they passed on prior to its
In 1921, Willie, Clara, and Anton discontinued renting the farm on Hardwood Island and moved into a spacious two-story house in Harris, recently purchased by Anton and situated north of and directly across Brook Street from the First Lutheran Church.1 Along with the house, the property included a full sized barn for their dairy herd, which Willie and Anton pastured on limited acreage along Goose Creek north and west of the farmstead, a coup for their flock of chickens, a granary, a woodshed, and a privy. The granary, a sizable building, possibly also designed to function as a horse stable, eventually became a single car garage with extensive storage areas. Although insufficient land existed for crops …show more content…
Although Clara possibly entered into the conversation with a guarded skepticism as to Inez’s motivation, the interview probably elevated to a cordial discussion as Clara pleasantly recalled events concerning the confectionery. Nonetheless, it ended with a contentious and unsettled issue, the price of Clara’s restaurant meals. Each woman stubbornly refused to concede her position, with Inez an advocate for a thirty-five cent sale price and Clara defending her claim of thirty cents. As the author, Inez reported the price at thirty-five cents. According to Clara’s account, the Palmer Café, a traditional diner and the only other restaurant in town, did sell their meals for thirty-five cents. Nevertheless, Clara’s meals sold for thirty cents, undercutting the Palmer Café by a nickel, giving her an unmistakable advantage during the depression years.14 An incident, part of our family’s oral history, illustrates the rivalry between the two establishments. Earl Palmer, the proprietor of Palmer’s Café, came into the confectionery to discuss the possibility of raising prices. After Bill’s ardent refusal to cooperate in the collusion of pricing, the discussion rashly escalated into an argument, which abruptly concluded when Mr. Palmer, in a fit of anger, slammed his fist down upon a glass display case with such force the glass broke. Consequently, Bill promptly escorted him off the premises.15 Neither Bill nor Clara could repudiate the price in the Harris Centennial article, since they passed on prior to its