From the Postcard Collection of Mark DiVecchio
Today, when people hear the term “mobile vendors,” many will immediately think about food trucks and the current rage for gourmet style, ethnic, and fusion foods, that are being fueled by creative food entrepreneurs, lower prices, and the reach of social media on the internet. The food truck business has grown into a multi-billion-dollar industry. We see them at outdoor events such as concerts, parties, festivals, or in food truck hubs all throughout the country (foodtruckfatty.com).
Some of you may remember an earlier version of mobile food trucks in the form of “lunch trucks” or “canteen trucks.” that visited construction sites, factories, and mills to sell food to employees who had limited lunch periods, or in those areas where there were no brick and mortar eating establishments. They were also referred to as “lunch wagons” which may have descended from the term “chuckwagons” which were used to feed travelers, cowboys, and cattleman who were on the road for days or even months during the days when our country was expanding to the west.
I grew up in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, (home of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, Aliquippa Works) in the 1950’s and 1960’s, and mobile vending, or the concept of mobile vending (taking your goods to where the potential customers live or gather to make a sale) was alive and well, even then! They were often referred to as “peddlers” or “hucksters” and depending upon what they were selling, some were just called “door to door salesmen” (even though some were women).
Periodically (usually once a week) the peddlers and hucksters came into our neighborhood (McDonald Heights) traveling from street to street until they ran out of goods or daylight (whichever occurred first). Those who also had brick and mortar stores and prearranged sales were considered “delivery men” even though they usually carried extra products in their trucks or cars to sell while they were in the neighborhood.
Clothing Peddlers
Between the ages of five and ten years old, I remember being visited by a woman that we called “the peddler lady” who sold women’s and girl’s clothing from door to door. She also had a retail store in downtown Aliquippa. She sold ladies dresses, hats, silk stockings and lingerie and a variety of clothing for young girls. Unfortunately, I don’t remember her name or the name of her retail store, but I know that most of my clothing, underwear, and stockings were purchased from her.
The Umbrella Man
This peddler repaired umbrellas and sharpened knives while you waited. I can remember my young friends and I gathering around his cart watching in fascination as he started up his grinding wheel to sharpen a variety of knives. His cart had an open umbrella attached, to protect him from the weather while he was grinding. The kids in the neighborhood where my husband grew up (Logstown) called this peddler the “Umbra Sambra Man.”
The Chicken & Vegetable Man
This huckster came into the neighborhood quite often. His name was Albert Unis and he was referred to as “Chicken Man” by some, and as “Abadoo” by others. He sold live chickens to those who still killed and cleaned the chickens that they served for dinner and he also sold produce including vegetables and fruits that were in season. He would park his truck on the street and everyone would come out of their houses to see what he had to offer that day. I can remember us buying fresh corn from him and sitting out on our porch steps, cleaning it for supper. As kids, we always looked forward to the watermelon that he sold on those hot summer days.
The Baker Man
The Woodlawn Bakery had a small retail storefront but sold most of their products from a fleet of trucks (vans) that came to the neighborhoods in Aliquippa. I fondly remember the wonderful aromas that came out of that van when the driver opened the doors to display his baked goods. There was usually a variety of bread, rolls, cakes, and pies. My favorite treat was an apple, cherry or pineapple mini-pie. My dad had a credit account with the bakery and I can remember taking advantage and buying an extra pie or cake many times.
The Ice Man
While the electric refrigerator was more widely used in the 1950’s, there we still families in our neighborhood that had an “ice box” in their home that required blocks of ice to keep their food. The ice man came once a week to put a block of ice in the top of the ice box or to sell ice to anyone in the neighborhood who wanted ice for other purposes. The kids in the neighborhood would gather at the truck to feel the cold air escaping from the truck when the door was opened. We didn’t have air conditioning in our homes then, so that was a real treat on those hot summer days. The ice man would often chip off chunks of ice for us to chew on (if we promised to stay out of his way). By the late 1950’s, electric refrigerators became more affordable and the ice man gradually disappeared from the scene.
The Milk Man
The Logstown Dairy delivered milk to our doorstep daily. He placed the glass bottles of milk that were decorated with a red Logstown Dairy logo in a metal milk box that sat on our porch. The milkman also sold butter and cream, and although most deliveries were standing orders, he always carried extra products on the truck to capture sales. If my memory serves me correctly and in agreement with my sisters-in-law (Stella and Dorothy) who knew the family, the Logstown Dairy was owned and operated at that time, by the Habazin family.
The Jewel Tea Man
Although the Jewel Tea Company originally sold coffee door to door, through the years they expanded their product offerings to include everything from baking powder and other grocery items to cleaning supplies, linens, cookware, and china. My maternal grandmother purchased goods from the jewel tea man (she called him “the coffee man”) and through the Jewel Tea Catalogue for many years. She loved that they offered premiums on each sale that she saved up and used to buy dinnerware (Autumn pattern). I can remember how she loved getting new dinnerware items to add to her collection. As kids, we loved looking through their Christmas Toy Catalogue to choose toys that we could ask Santa for.
The Fuller Brush Man
The Fuller Brush Company sold a variety of brushes that had a lifetime guarantee, from door-to-door. The hairbrush and the lint brush that I used growing up were purchased from Fuller Brush. The company also sold home cleaning and personal care products. I remember that we always bought their degreaser which was excellent for cleaning any grease or oil messes around the house or on clothing. The Fuller Brush Man gave us a catalog to browse on every visit, to order products for delivery on his next visit.
The company became a household name in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s with the release of two movies, a 1948 Comedy Movie – The Fuller Brush Man, starring Red Skelton and a 1950 Comedy Movie – The Fuller Brush Girl, starring Lucille Ball. My husband told me a story about how his father hated the Fuller Brush Man and often chased him out of the house because he felt that he was convincing my mother-in-law to buy products that she did not need. But, when my sisters-in-law remarked about how good-looking their salesman was, I wondered if his good looks contributed in part to my father-in-law’s disdain for the man.
I truly treasure old memories and enjoy sharing the nostalgia of a life and time gone by while growing up in a once-booming steel town in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and I hope that you enjoy reading about them. Hopefully, my memories will spark some memories of your own and will put a smile on your face and in your heart
When I was in my first Tech school for the Air Force 8 years ago we had a lunch truck that would come by around lunch time. The truck looked just like the one in the first picture, but something tells me the food was a bit different since ours was full of energy drinks and plastic wrapped microwave sandwiches (no complaints here though).
Enjoyed,So very true,remember it all,I was there,Happy times indeed.
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