When I first started at the Market, I could sense a lot of history. The Fates sent a visitor to the store one day. Van, the current owner, my boss, was working and I was just passing by. Our visitor turned out to be Bill McQuay Jr. The following was a story he passed along via email after his visit. Here goes:
MCQUAY’S MARKET
McQuay’s Market was the continuation of Rehoboth Market which was located in the 100 block of South First Street. Rehoboth Market was conceived as a plan by Butch McQuay with a lease in the winter of 1937. It opened as a butcher shop in the summer of 1938. As to be expected, money was a problem. Alice, Butch’s wife opened a boarding house on Maryland Ave to help the cash flow problem. The butcher shop became a full blown grocery store for the same reason. The shelves in the store were stocked by the wholesaler that would give Butch the longest time to pay. So you may understand about the times, the first telephone number was 80. Then the telephone company became fancy and the number became 2211 during the war.
When the war started, meat was hard to find. A slaughter house was built and meat was easier to get. A small chicken farm was rented and chickens were raised. The next big venture was frozen foods because a large freezer became available and frozen foods were the up and coming thing.
By 1945 Butch had made money and winters in Rehoboth were too quiet so he went to Pompano Beach Florida, a sleepy little farming community with the world’s largest produce market. The market was about ½ mile long and the width of a football field. Pompano, located half way between Miami and West Palm Beach, had a surplus of produce and a shortage of new cars and the north had the opposite problems, so Butch stepped in to make more money. During this time Rehoboth Market was maintained open by an employee and a trend was started. Rehoboth Market was never closed. It was open 365 days of the year. Christmas morning the store opened late, but that was all.
Finally Butch got caught with too many pineapples and a frost that almost wiped him out. Rehoboth Market had to be sold. The present location was bought in 1946 or 1947 and the roof raised to make an apartment over the store. This was the start of McQuay’s Market on Rehoboth Ave across from the ice house. Alice, Beatrice, William Jr, and John all put their time in the store, in one position or another. A Sealtest Dairy distributorship was started which did well but hired help was still a problem. Seafood was a natural and Butch started steaming lobsters for the summer people who did not have the facilities to do their own steaming. There was no additional cost to the customer.
A liquor license was obtained to help the winter cash flow. Butch did well with this venture. As you may have realized, Butch was a very good butcher, but he was first and foremost a salesman. He died in the manner that he wanted. He drove up to the store, got out of the car, and had a major stroke. Active to the end. As a result of his stroke, the store was closed by family. When Butch learned of this, he died.
Now I know why I feel some history…..
