Harrington News

Harrington Food Store

on Historic Register

Celeste Miller of the Harrington Historical Preservation Commission brought to the Harrington City Council the nomination of the Harrington Food Store to be placed on the Historic Properties Register. This passed the city council with a 5-0 vote.

The location of what is now the Harrington Food Store was the site of “Dutch Henry’s place” with the proprietor, Henry Fallert selling choice wines, liquors and cigars. Photos of that early 1900 establishment survived, although the structure itself was destroyed by fire in January of 1916 when McInnis Brothers’ big OK barn went up in smoke.

Henry Fallert’s loss was probably $4,000, with $1,000 insurance on the building. The loss did not deter him. The report in the Harrington Citizen of 4-14-1916 was “Fallert Contract Let. Henry Fallert on Tuesday afternoon awarded the contract for the erection of a two-story brick building, to J.O. Kerrick. The new structure is to be of red brick, 36 X 80 feet, two stories, two store rooms on the ground floor, a basement under one-half of the building, and to cost approximately $9,000.00. It is to be erected just north of the First National Bank building on the side where fire recently destroyed Mr Fallert’s old wooden building.”

At this time, Henry Fallert, 53 years of age, was married with a step-son Ed Huber, and son Charles, and daughters Eleanora, Rosella, Emma and infant Katherine. His business took in the hotel and pool hall, where he was cited for violating the Sunday law by selling liquor on Sunday. Henry died in 1925 following a stroke, and his wife continued conducting the hotel until her move to Davenport in 1937.

The main portion of the building which is presently used by Hoobs as the Harrington Food Store was used from 1936 through 1947 as Moore’s Grocery, at which time a 16-ounce can of Heinz Pork & Beans sold for a mere 19 cents. In 1947, the store was operated as Frame’s Foods for seven months when it was purchased by M.R. Fallis and renamed the Harrington Food Store. Fallis successfully managed the store for two years, when Herman Stolp and his mother Annie came to Harrington and bought the store. From 1949 to a fateful April morning in 1953, the Stolps were well respected and prosperous in Harrington as the owners of this historic building.

“H. Stolp is Victim of Gun Tragedy. Herman Stolp’s condition, at 2 p.m. Thursday, was reported ‘as good as can be expected; holding his own, although he had a rugged night’. That is the word from his mother, Mrs Annie Stolp, in a telephone conversation from Deaconess hospital. Herman Stolp was shot in the stomach about 9 a.m. Monday morning by 15 year old Richard Bartlett, a high school youth. ‘This is a holdup’, the boy told the grocer, and then fired without waiting, according to a statement made to Deputy Sheriff Russell Goodman by Stolp. Sheriff C.E. McCaffery said the .22 rifle carried by the boy had been stolen about a week earlier from the local hardware store. The youth fled from the store following the shooting. Stolp crawled to the telephone and called the Harrington Drug company from where Jack Boyer came to give him first aid. Dr. R.E. Salter came from Davenport and sent Mr. Stolp to the Deaconess hospital with Deputy Goodman. Herman was given between 2 and 3 quarts of blood upon his arrival at the hospital. Prosecuting Attorney Zellmer reports the Bartlett boy told him he had not intended to shoot, and did not remember pulling the safety catch. But when he said, ‘This is a holdup. This gun is loaded’, the gun went off. Sheriff McCaffery took the youth to Davenport where he is in custody. He is the son of Mrs. Gust Larson. Mrs. Stolp was still at home and was summoned immediately. Jack Williams took her to Spokane by car and she is remaining with Herman, whose condition is still grave. She is staying with her sister, Miss Jean Campbell. Mrs. Stolp and her son Herman came here from Sprague in the summer of 1959 (sic, 1949). Tuesday noon, Jack Williams, assisted by Mrs. Orville Swartz and Mrs. E.L. Heinemeyer opened the Harrington Food Market and are operating it while Mrs. Stolp is in Spokane.” (Citizen: 4-17-1953)

Fran and Jack Williams purchased the Harrington Food Market from Stolps in 1953, as Herman was never able to overcome that eventful day. Fran was born in Harrington in 1921, the daughter of Kenneth and Georgia Wyatt. She married Jack Williams in Coeur d’Alene in 1941. They operated this store from 1953 to 1982 when Jack Williams died, and Fran retired. Fran allowed Mike and Kathy Hoob to run the store during the 3 to 6 months that it took to get their licenses; and they have this fall owned the store 31 years.

Mike Hoob and Kathy Sewall were married in 1981. Kathy was a hairdresser first at the Crescent and later at the Davenport Hotel, both in Spokane. Mike worked for Safeway at the Sprague and Pines store in Spokane valley for eight years. They liked the original state of the grocery store in Harrington, an older style hometown store that meets the needs of the community. Their first 25 years in business at Harrington Food Market was entirely self-run, long hours wearing the many hats of ownership, cashier, maintenance, delivery, stocking, inventory, etc. For the past six years they have had minimal part-time assistance to keep from burning out. Mike and Kathy have had the business listed for sale for the past seven months, as they would like to have more free time and fewer demands. They don’t intend leaving Harrington, nor do they intend to sell just to get rid of the property. They seem to be waiting to find new owners that have the same vision with which they began: to maintain the local hometown grocery store.

To be continued next week.