Sold in Teddy's Dairy Store: Butter, Eggs and -- Beer?!

On the anniversary of my paternal Grandpa Teddy's death in May, 1965, I've been redoing my newspaper research and learned something new, thanks to additional newspapers now in databases and fully searchable.

Background: Theodore "Teddy" Schwartz was born in Ungvar, Hungary on May 21, 1887. He came to New York City in March of 1901, married my Grandma Hermina "Minnie" Farkas in 1911. The portrait above shows him around the time of his marriage. Just as the US was entering World War I, Teddy started up a dairy store in the South Bronx, New York. With a small son and expecting more children in the future, this family-owned store would provide more stable income than his previous occupation as insurance and steamship agent.

Teddy's Dairy was a small, one-store operation, always in the Bronx, selling basics like butter, eggs, and pantry items. Also soda pop, candy, pickles, and assorted household supplies. He sold his store once or twice and opened in a new location each time, moving further north toward the more "suburban" areas of the Bronx.  

In 1933, as Prohibition was just about coming to a close, Grandpa Teddy received a retail license to sell beer and wine in his dairy store at 679 Fox Street in the South Bronx. How do I know? I found the public notice of his license published in the New York Evening Journal newspaper, page 19, on July 19, 1933. Prohibition wasn't quite over but apparently stores and restaurants could sell some alcoholic beverages with the proper permits.

Grandpa later sold that store and opened another at 640 East 180th Street in the Bronx, further uptown from the earlier store. In July of 1948, he was issued a permit to sell beer at retail, not to be consumed on the premises. This public notice was published in the New York Post Home News, considered the "hometown newspaper" of the Bronx. 

Since Teddy's Dairy was open all day, and six days a week, I think selling beer was a good way to bring in customers later in the day and into the evening. Sometimes Teddy didn't close the shop until well after dinner (I know from reading the family tree minutes) but those beer sales would have been profitable.

Thinking of Grandpa Teddy Schwartz with great affection. And grateful for the newspapers newly added to databases!