Fitzgerald's Grocery Store (Site)

These coordinates mark the exact spot where the store once stood. No visible remains exist.


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Here follows an article written by Robert Riccio and published in the Patch newspaper in 2011:

Fitzgerald’s Grocery Store
One could purchase groceries on account and pay for them at week's end, or biweekly, on payday.

In the United States, our grocery stores descend from the old trading posts, which sold clothing and household items, tools, and furniture, as well as from food. Eventually, the trading posts subdivided into specialty stores and what became known as general stores, which focused on providing dry goods, such as flour or canned foods. With the advent of specialization, one needed to go to the butcher for meat and the dairy for milk, and one usually obtained eggs and vegetables at farmers’ markets or in one’s own back yard.

The first full-service grocery stores (selling all types of foods and basic cleaning and household items) did not come into being until the turn of the previous century, and Piggly Wiggly, opened in 1916 in Tennessee, is credited as the first in our nation. Since then, all manner of grocery stores developed—such as the corner grocer with a small choice of basic staples, the family owned full-service store that competed with the Piggly Wiggly and other chains, and the combined specialty store that might offer fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, and some dry goods.

But for most long-time Rose Hill residents, perhaps the most beloved type of grocery store had its heyday in a time period that covered three generations. Family-owned grocery stores catered to the local community like few businesses could. If the store was any good, it knew what types of canned goods, vegetables and fruits were preferred by its local clientele, its neighbors. If the store had not figured it out, the customers only needed to speak with their friend, the store owner, to ensure the exact item was available next time.

In Rose Hill, from 1936 to 1972, Berry and Clare’s Fitzgerald’s Grocery Store played the role of local supplier of all one needed from eggs to detergent, nails to feed, and apples to pencils. The store, once located near where the CVS or the Virginia Baked Ham store are on Franconia Road, was the place where you put a standing order to be picked up on a given weekday and where your bill was tallied on the brown paper bag you took home.

Bob Cooke, a local resident who worked as a bag boy at Fitzgerald’s from age 12 (in 1941) to age 18 (1947), recalls how the store did business: “We bag boys were paid 25 cents an hour to begin with. At the time, potatoes were two cents a pound, ice cream 35 cents a quart, and my friends would look forward to coming by to get an after-school ice cream cone when I was on duty.”

The grocery was considered a quality store with many an upscale cut of meat (they specialized in ham), several types of pies (Mrs. Smiths were a perennial favorite among locals during the holidays) and an assortment of candies that ensured young and old were frequent short-stay shoppers.

Bills were paid weekly or biweekly, on pay day. Knowing your client as your neighbor had many advantages for the grocer and Mr. Fitzgerald knew his neighbors well. The store was always busy and folks always found the items they had hoped to find. But sometimes, when things were tight economically, it was the clients who benefited from knowing their grocer. If you couldn’t afford to buy your needed items, you were allowed to pay your bill when you could afford to. You simply purchased your items “on account” until you had the money.

Fitzgerald’s was a mom and pop store that added “& Son” to their sign when the couple’s son, Lynn, returned home after WWII. He eventually took over when his parents retired. Alas, the three store owners have passed away, but not before enjoying years during which residents approached each grocer to regale them with stories about their favorite local store, long after it had closed its doors.


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Here follows an article written by Jac Walker in the Fall 2002 "Franconia Legacies" newsletter as published on the Franconia Museum's website:

First Founding Friend
Lynnwood Shields Fitzgerald, Sr.
December 26, 1923 -- May 29, 2002

Both Franconia and the Franconia Museum have lost a wonderful friend. Through his country grocery store business and real estate, he knew everyone and he loved everyone. He loved the town of Franconia. Lynn was very pleased that the history of his beloved town is being preserved. He became the first benefactor of the Franconia Museum, Inc. -- the first Founding Friend. The penny candy case with artifacts from Fitzgerald Grocery is displayed in the Helen Wilson Room of the Franconia Governmental Center.

Born in Cornwall, Virginia, Lynn and his family moved to Alexandria in the 1920's, then to Franconia in 1933. Lynn started first grade at Franconia Elementary School and was in the 1942 graduating class from Mount Vernon High School. He was drafted into the U.S. Army and became a Master Sergeant in the 239th Engineers, served in the South Pacific in New Guinea and the Philippines. After WWII he joined his parents in the country store grocery business. Fitzgerald Grocery closed in 1972 dues to the widening of Franconia Road. He then became a real estate broker and in 1973 formed Fitzgerald and Walsh Real Estate, which continues today as Fitzgerald, Walsh and Fogarty. He was a lifetime member of Franconia Unnited Methodist Church and a charter member of Franconia Volunteer Fire Department. He belonged to the VFW Post 7327 and the Springfield Rotary Club.

His wife, Mary Schurtz Fitzgerald, preceded him in death. He is survived by his sons, Shields, Vernon and David, his sister Mary Jane Smith, and six grandchildren.


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Here follows an article written by Jac Walker in the 2004 "Franconia Legacies" newsletter as published on the Franconia Museum's website:

LYNNWOOD SHIELDS FITZGERALD, SR. & FAMILY
Lynn was born December 26, 1923 in Cornwall, VA to Charles Berry and Roslyn Clare Shields Fitzgerald.
Franconia lost a wonderful friend on May 29, 2002 when Lynn suffered a fatal heart attack following emergency surgery.

Lynn’s father, C. B. Fitzgerald, better known as Berry, was born on September 2, 1891 in Nelson County, VA.
He worked in lumber yards and grocery stores at an early age, until World War I when he served overseas.
Upon his return, he worked at the South River Lumber Company Commissary in Rockbridge County, VA. It was at this location that he met Clare Shields. They were married on December 20, 1919. Clare was born September 18, 1898 and was one of five children.

Soon after their marriage, Berry worked with the A&P Tea Company Stores in Southwest Virginia. Berry opened several stores for this company, one of which was a large market in Bristol, TN, the first in that city.
The family lived in the Virginia side of Bristol.

Lynn had a sister, Mary Jane, who was born on December 19, 1921. The family moved to Alexandria in the late 1920’s and settled in Franconia in 1933. They moved here to be near two of Berry’s brothers and a sister, Flossie Ogden, who lived in the area. They lived on a farm on Beulah Road while searching for the perfect spot to build their own store. It took awhile, but in 1937, they built their store with living quarters known as Fitzgerald Grocery, Inc. at 6150 Franconia Road. As planned, the door to their kitchen also was the door to the store. It was an inseparable part of their lives. They opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 10 p.m. every day except Sunday. Mary worked with her parents in the store for a very short while. She said her mother claimed they did not make any money until after she left.

Clare was quoted as saying, “Most people you meet in Northern Virginia were born somewhere else. But Franconia is different. If you moved to Franconia, say, 40 years ago, you’re considered by some to be “new folks.” (The Gazette 8/30/76). HOW TRUE!!! Franconia stayed remarkably rural in character for many years.
Gradually the large farms were subdivided. Many of the children and grandchildren still live on part of the original home sites.

After graduating from Mount Vernon High School in 1941, Lynn worked at Fort Belvoir as a Machinist Helper until he was drafted into the Army on January 19, 1943. During WWII, he served with the 239th Corp of Engineers (1/18/41 – 1/23/46) in New Guinea, South Philippines and Luzon. His military records indicate he received an Asiatic Pacific Service Medal with three (3) Bronze Service Stars and a Philippines Liberation Service Medal with one (1) Bronze Service Star. He attained rank of Master Sergeant at age 20.

It was during this era, while Lynn was serving in the U.S. Army, that a local boy, Bob Cooke, was hired to work in the store. Beginning at age 12 (1941) until his freshman year in college, (1947.) His recollections:

My beginning pay was 25 cents per hour. I left for a higher pay (50 cents per hour) at Peoples Drugs in Alexandria, but came back when Mr. Fitzgerald offered to match the pay. I was happy he did so because hitch hiking to Alexandria every day was getting old.

I remember some of the prices of items we sold at the store. Cabbage and potatoes were the same price: 2 cents a pound. Name brand cigarettes were 15 cents a pack. Ice cream, packed as hard as I could pack it, was 35 cents a quart. Kids would wait to buy their cones when I was working.

The average total revenue for a weekday was $60 to $80. Any thing over $100 was a big day except for Saturday when $250 to $300 was possible. Some customers would get paid on Friday, stop by the store Friday evening, cash their checks and spend virtually the entire amount on groceries. I remember one customer who bought almost the exact same groceries every single Friday. When I saw her coming to the store, I started filling her order before she opened the door (25 pounds of self rising flour, 4 pounds of lard, 10 pounds of potatoes, 2 heads of cabbage, and a carton of Camels and on it went. It never changed.

Most customers ran a tab at the store and made payments on pay day or sometimes, if and when they could.
We added the cost of the groceries on a brown paper bag, entered that amount as one entry (groceries $6.56) in a ledger, put the groceries in the same bag, and that was that. Two or three customers would not accept that and insisted that each item be listed separately in the ledger. Mr. & Mrs. Fitzgerald and I considered that to be a lot of unnecessary work, but we did it just to keep them happy. As you might expect from “picky” people of this type, they sometimes questioned the entries.

Because of the absence of adult workers due to World War II and the fact that women were not fully integrated into the work force, as a 14 year old male kid, I had the opportunity to do many things that would not be entrusted to a 14 year old in today’s world. When salesmen and distributors called on the store, I was allowed to order groceries based on what I thought we needed. (Mr. Fitzgerald sometimes worked as a carpenter and Mrs. Fitzgerald was busy doing other things, so they allowed me to “manage” the store.) I loved it and they never second guessed my orders. I also drove (got my driving license at age 14) to Irving Payne’s Wholesale at Bailey’s Crossroads and made purchases. I knew I had arrived when I was allowed to go to Washington to purchase produce and meat on Main Street. On these occasions, I was given a list.

Growing up at Fitzgerald’s was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot from Mrs. Fitzgerald and “Pop.” They were very kind to me and taught me a lot. When the war ended, Lynn returned and I moved on to other ventures. The book was closed on a very important part of my young life. Everyone growing up should have a chance to work at Fitzgerald’s.

Fitzgerald’s Grocery was more than a “Mom and Pop” store — it was a quality store. After Lynn returned from his duty in World War II, it became a “Mom, Pop and Son” store. The store was known for its good meats, specializing in country and other hams. Clare recalled a sale of hams to one customer amounting to $750. During the war years, when many items were rationed and food stamps were necessary, Berry remembered getting in line at 2 o’clock in the morning to buy meat. A wide variety store, they handled feed, nails, seeds as well as produce. One of their biggest sellers were Mrs. Smith’s pies during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons—hundreds of pies! Also, they carried a variety of candy which, of course, attracted the very young and old. The candy case and the glass pie safe are among the many store artifacts donated to the Franconia Museum, Inc. by Lynn shortly before his untimely death.

It was on August 21, 1950 that Lynn married another Franconian, Mary Glennis “Pete” Schurtz. Pete was the youngest of five children (Pauline Rogers, Juanita Worley, Robert Schurtz, and Alveria Campbell.) She preceded Lynn in death on July 1, 1994. They had three sons, Shields (Lynnwood Jr.) who lives in the area and has two children, Mary Jean and James; Charles Vernon, a US Postal employee, who lives in Stafford, VA with his wife, Lori and two sons, Chuck and Matthew; and David, the youngest, who lives in Greenville, NC with his wife, Connie, and their children, David, Jr. and Abigail. David is a doctor of Optometry.

Not able to stop progress and the widening of Franconia Road, the store was closed after 36 years on May 1, 1972. Berry and Clare were of retirement age and they resigned themselves to closing an era with a good feeling that they were good for the community, and the community was good for them. “Now its over,” said Berry. The business had changed due to the rapid growth of Springfield and new businesses.

While still with the family business, Lynn worked part-time for Samuel L. Land Real Estate which was located across the street from the store. When the store closed, Lynn continued in real estate and formed Fitzgerald and Walsh Real Estate. His company continues today as Fitzgerald, Walsh and Fogarty.

Lynn also handled the sale of Fairfax County Motor Vehicle stickers at the store. At the closing of the store, he proudly announced that the Department of Motor Vehicles building was under construction on Grovedale Drive and should be in operation for all business pertaining to state licensing by July. After signing a petition two years before to establish this office in Franconia was now a reality.

Over the years, the Fitzgerald’s were very active in civic organizations. Lynn was a charter member of Franconia Volunteer Fire Department (25-year lifetime member), a member of VFW Post 7327 and the Springfield Rotary Club. Clare was an active member of the Ladies Auxiliary of the Fire Department, attending every meeting. The Fitzgerald’s were active members of the Bethel Episcopal Church on Beulah Road which was established in 1896. (The first minister, the Reverend Mundy, was a circuit rider, and the services were held jointly with a Baptist congregation in a building on Beulah Road, known as Union Church.)
Clare and daughter, Mary, sang in the choir. Berry and Clare were instrumental, along with Dick Dodd, in purchasing land on Franconia Road from Mrs. Kathie Higham for the construction of their church, now known as Franconia United Methodist Church. Lynn and his parents were very active members of their church in many areas until their deaths. Mary, by then in 1940, had married John Briar and moved to the Mount Vernon area.

After the death of his parents in 1978, Lynn moved his family from their home in Springfield Forest to his parents’ home place, a lovely stone house which was built in 1948. The house was just a few blocks east of the store on Franconia Road. Lynn’s sister, Mary Jane Briar Smith, lives in the Mount Vernon area. She has two children, John Briar III and Suzanne Briar-Wood and three grandchildren. She is looking forward to moving into the Springfield Greenspring Village in August 2004.

It was through the grocery and real estate businesses that Lynn got to know everyone in Franconia; he was a “people’s person.” He loved his job and the daily contacts with his many friends. He was very pleased to become the first Founding Friend of the Franconia Museum, Inc. which was established in March 2002. He had long wanted the history of this community preserved.

On a personal note, this writer, along with her husband, Donald Walker, miss Lynn and Pete, their very best friends, so much! We not only grew up with them but our friendship endured the full gamut of fun times to sad times. Lynn was best man at our wedding in 1947, and Donald was best man at their wedding in 1950.
We enjoyed family vacations together as well as short and long trips as couples. For many years, we had dinner out together most every Friday evening. Lynn usually drove his Lincoln and would drive us through the Franconia area just “shooting the town” before bringing us home. Every fall season, we would make our annual trip to Skyline Drive because Pete loved the beauty of the turning trees. She had a keen eye and an appreciation of nature—she viewed the hues that others did not seem to notice. Her appreciation of art was reflected in their home. She was a good cook as was Lynn and they enjoyed entertaining. I do not know of anyone who loved Franconia as Lynn Fitzgerald did. Franconia lost a very dear friend. So did the
Walkers.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2007 edition of the "Franconia Remembers" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

A FEW MEMORIES OF FRANCONIA
by “Dinky” Huffman

At the ripe old age of 15, I was the youngest member ever to serve in the Franconia Volunteer Fire Department Rescue Squad. I remember a particular call during the winter of 1958-59. I was 16 then. We had an ambulance call for a lady that had fallen at the old shopping center in Springfield. It was a really cold, windy, snowy day, and the road conditions certainly were NOT good. Anyway, no problem, Lynn Fitzgerald was driving the old 1948 Cadillac ambulance. As we were passing Lee High School, approaching the O’Connell’s driveway across from the school, I brought it to Lynn’s attention that he was heading DIRECTLY towards the O’Connell’s large mailbox. He calmly stated, “Oh, I got her.” Just as he got it out of his mouth, BAM he had nailed the mailbox. Of course we did not stop to check out the damage, and probably couldn’t have if we wanted to. Later we checked out the ambulance to find there was very little damage, but the mailbox was another story. We had arrived on the scene, and got the lady to the hospital in safe condition. As I think about it now, I truly believe Lynn Fitzgerald could have been a very successful NASCAR driver.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2008 edition of the "Franconia Remembers" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

My Memories Of Franconia
written by Sharon Taber Breeding

This is an excerpt from the Taber Family Story from the Franconia Museum’s upcoming book “Franconia Remembers, Volume IV”

My friends and I would go along Franconia Road and look in the ditches for pop bottles, which were worth two cents. We would find as many as we could and take them to Ward’s Corner, or to Fitzgerald’s Store to trade for candy. Mr. Fitzgerald would make us clean the bottles before he would take them from us.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2008 edition of the "Franconia Remembers" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

Returnable Pop Bottles at Fitzgerald’s Store
by Barbara Stewardson Wassom

Growing up in Franconia was an idyllic existence. Children were free to roam the entire community, play with all the other children, and return home just for meals — before leaving again. Riding bikes, or on foot, visiting friends was such a simple process. No need to arrange “play dates,” mothers went about their daily chores without having to provide taxi service for their children, and concern for children’s safety was limited primarily to falls—off bikes, out of trees, off roofs, etc.

All of this was possible, of course, because Franconia was a “community,” a place where adults looked out for all children, not just their own. Fitzgerald’s Grocery Store was the hub of the community for many of us. The store was operated by Berry and Clare Fitzgerald and his son, Lynn. Because he was younger, Lynn was the one most of us wanted to deal with. He let kids be a little bit rowdy, noisy, and indecisive about candy choices.

My cousin, Tony Morris, is just one month older than I. We both lived on Potter’s Lane, and therefore, spent most of our time together. We scavenged through the dump between the end of Potter’s Lane and Beulah Street, for treasures; we picked wild strawberries in the field behind our property; we picked grapes along the fence line on Potter’s Lane; and collected soda bottles from the side of the road. The treasures from the dump were brought home as gifts for our mothers. The strawberries and grapes were mostly eaten as they were picked, but some were taken home for the rest of the family. The soda bottles were redeemed at Fitzgerald’s for two cents each. Tony and I discovered that there were sodas bottles stored behind the store, and decided they were lots easier to collect than those on the roadside. A couple of times we went behind the store, put ten or so bottles in our wagon, pulled them around to the front of the store, and sold them back to Lynn. I’m pretty sure Lynn knew where the bottles came from, but he never accused us of stealing them. We felt pretty guilty though, and only did it two or three times.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This was not the only story about pop bottles being returned multiple times to Fitzgerald’s store, Lynn evidently bought the same bottles over and over many times.


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Here follows an excerpt from the Fall 2014 edition of the "Franconia Remembers" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

IN MEMORIAM:
Mary Jane Fitzgerald Briar Smith

Mary Jane Fitzgerald moved to Franconia with her mother and father, Charles Berry Fitzgerald and Roslyn Clair Shields, and younger brother, Lynnwood Shields Fitzgerald, in the early 1930s and entered the seventh-grade at Franconia Elementary School. They lived on a farm on what was then known as Beulah Road. Her dad opened Fitzgerald’s Grocery on Franconia Road (where the CVS is now located) in 1936, and Mary Jane and her mother, known as Clara, held the fort there while her dad worked as a carpenter to pay the bills until the business got established. It was tough getting started during the Depression, and Mary Jane later would recall that some days the gross receipts would be as little as $8. Fitzgerald’s became a favorite Franconia gathering place until it closed in 1972.

Mary Jane was a member of the last graduating class at the old Lee Jackson High School across Cameron Run in the section of Fairfax County that now is part of the City of Alexandria. During her high school days, she would babysit young Joe Alexander who lived with his family next to the Fitzgerald farm. Joe would become the long-time Lee District Supervisor and a close friend of Lynn until the younger Fitzgerald died in 2002. Lynn was one of the prime movers in the formation of the Franconia Museum and donated many artifacts from the store to the Museum.

Mary Jane married her high school sweetheart, John Briar, Jr., in 1940 and they moved into a house built with plans from the 1939 New York World’s Fair in Wellington Villa that was a wedding present from John’s parents. The junior Briar was a member of both the Franconia, and Mount Vernon Volunteer Fire Departments before starting Briar’s Ambulance Service in 1948. Mary Jane operated the ambulance service for a year or two after her husband died in 1960.

Mary Jane was a graduate of a business school in Washington, D.C., and worked at Virginia Power, Fort Belvoir, a real estate firm, and both old Alexandria Hospital and Mount Vernon Hospital before a long career as an administrative assistant for a doctor. She married Phillip Smith, Jr., in 1969 and they lived in Wellington until he died in 1998. Mary Jane Fitzgerald Briar Smith died at Greenspring in Springfield on August 9, 2014 after a lengthy illness. She is survived by her son, John Briar III, daughter Suzanne Briar Wood and her husband Robert, stepson John Phillip Smith III, and stepdaughter Margaret Leland Smith.

(Visit the Franconia Museum and view the original cash register, the candy case, receipt machine, meat grinder and other items from Fitzgerald’s Grocery. Also on display is a portion of a pew from the old Bethel Methodist Church that was located on Beulah Road at its intersection with Fleet Drive. The building still remains as Mount Calvary Community Church, but most of the original congregation moved to the new quarters known as Franconia Methodist Church next to the Franconia Elementary School. Also, use the scale from Fitzgerald’s Grocery when you buy fruit and vegetables at Nalls Produce on Beulah Street. It is on loan from the Museum.)


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Here follows an excerpt from the Spring 2019 edition of the "Franconia Remembers" newsletter published by the Franconia Museum:

CHARLES BERRY FITZGERALD
The logistics involved in moving thousands of troops forward as the American attack began in October 1918 fell on the shoulders of engineers to keep the roads open and mechanics to keep the vehicles moving. These troops marching forward would be log jammed behind any delay. The generals realized they commanded a partially trained army and needed the expertise of men who already had the skills necessary to keep the army rolling.

Private Charles Berry Fitzgerald served as a mechanic during that time. His short stay in France coincided with the American assault over a 98-mile front that pushed the Germans back on their heels, and led to the November 11 Armistice. He had enlisted on May 25, 1919, and sailed for France in late July. He left France on February 23, and was discharged on March 14.

After the war, Lt. Gen. Hunter Liggett, commander of the First Army, wrote about the army’s need for skilled mechanics: “A large proportion of the army troops include the skilled mechanics used in commercial industries. An army organization in peace would provide for the proper and efficient classification of these men for military purposes. They are essential in any army in time of war.”

Charles Berry Fitzgerald was born September 2, 1891, at Massie’s Mill in Nelson County, VA. He was 26 when he enlisted in the army. He had been working at lumber companies and grocery stores, and was classified as a “lumberman” on his enlistment papers. He obviously had some skill as a mechanic, which the army quickly recognized.

When he returned home, Fitzgerald went to work for a lumber company in Rockbridge County, just west of Nelson County. There he met Clara Shields and they were married in Charlottesville, VA, on December 20, 1919. Fitzgerald worked for the A&P food chain, establishing stores in Southwest Virginia and one in nearby Bristol, TN. Charles Berry and Clara had two children, Mary Jane born in December 1921, and Linwood Shields, born in December 1923. Lin served in the army during World War II. They decided to move to Franconia to join family members and open their own store. Thus Fitzgerald’s Grocery was born in 1933, on a lot at the corner of Franconia and Grovedale Roads (now occupied by CVS Pharmacy.) The Fitzgeralds lived at the store until building a stone house on Franconia Road in 1948, just east of the store. The store closed in 1972, a victim of the widening of Franconia Road.

Charles Berry Fitzgerald died on July 23, 1978, at the age of 86. Clara died three months later on October 15. They are buried in the Timber Ridge ARP church cemetery in Fairfield, VA, the birthplace of Sam Houston of Texas fame.