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- Struve Businesses
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- Fritz and Manna Struve
came to Abernathy in 1912 and purchased a grocery business located
at 402 Ninth Street, the present location of First State Bank.
Fritz sold the grocery store when he had the opportunity to purchase
Vint Stambaugh's half interest in a hardware store belonging
to W.H. Ragland and Mr. Stambaugh. The hardware store was located
at 324 Main Street, the present location of a parking lot. After
several years of a good partnership, Fritz accepted Mr. Ragland's
offer to "put on his hat, turn the business over to Fritz,
and walk out". Ben Struve, Fritz's brother, had been farming
5 miles southeast of Abernathy for several years. Ben joined
the business at this time, and the enterprises became known as
Struve Brothers. The building housing the store was acquired
later from J.J. Barron.
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- Rev. Hembree, a Baptist
preacher, and his wife had a dry good store, "The Ladies
Toggery", in the east half of the building. When the Hembrees
left Abernathy, the Struves purchased the dry good business,
and the store became Struve Mercantile Company. A grocery store
was added in later years.
- Ben and Fritz soon branched
out into farming, purchased some land, and rented some more.
Ben managed the farming interests. A good cotton crop in 1924
brought an excellent price, and a new building was erected comparable
to the brick buildings east of them on Main Street.
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- A tin shop was part of
the hardware store for many Years. Mr. Joe Ramsey was the sheet
metal expert who made tanks, troughs, and stove pipes for a growing
community.
- Land purchased in Parmer
County had been homesteaded originally by the A.E. Pipkin family.
This land became an integral part of the business operation.
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- A cheese factory began
a precarious existence in 1929. T.J. Struve, Fritz and Ben's
youngest brother, was the cheesemaker. Reinhold Schroeter was
manager until 1932, when Rudolph Struve became manager. Arno
Struve took over the management in 1935, and Rudolph moved to
the mercantile department. The coming of irrigation meant that
fewer crops were grown for grazing, farmers had less time to
milk cows, and the cheese factory closed in 1951.
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- During the depression
years, the brothers undertook several business ventures. Feeding
of lambs on the farm was successful. Cattle fattened on the farm
were butchered and sold in the meat department of the grocery
store. A broom factory was one not-so-successful business the
brothers tried. Broom corn for the raw material was raised on
the farm. Ben also raised sugar cane to make syrup. The product
was good, but sales were disappointing.
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- A locker plant was added
during the war years. Customers appreciated having this facility
to store their homegrown foods, and the plant served to create
traffic through the store.
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- The implement department
was separated from the main building in 1947, and was moved across
the street to 315 Main. Ben Struve died that year. Fritz Struve
died in 1959.
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- The second generation
business was operated as a congenial corporation and partnership
by Marvin Struve, Rudolph Struve, D.Z. and Irma Ward, and Arno
Struve until 1960. Marvin took the grocery department that he
had operated over the years, Dan and Irma took the men's wear
department, Rudolph took the implement company, and Arno and
Minnie sold hardware and dry goods. Real estate was used to balance
the distribution.
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- Hoppy and Mona Toler bought
Ward's Men's Store a few years later. At the same time, they
took over operation of the hardware and dry goods store. Eventually
they purchased the departments known later as Struve Department
store.
- Struve Department Store
closed in 1996.
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