Grocery Firm Observing 50th Anniversary
Coffee, tea, spices and pickles were the original items on hand for wholesale, when Morgan Bros. & Co. opened for business in a hole-in-the-wall store 50 years ago today — Jan. 21, 1921.
Another original item was W. L. (Bill) Morgan, now 75, of 1594 Maple St., Clarkston. Morgan, like the business, has endured and, in addition, has lent his name to a firm product, Uncle Bill’s Pickles.
From a small beginning and a limited line of merchandise, the firm, which once included four Morgan brothers, has expanded to one of the largest wholesale grocery and restaurant and janitorial supply firms in the Pacific Northwest. It now operates a fleet of 15 trucks and service cars throughout the region.
Partners in the firm for many years in addition to W. L. Morgan were three other brothers, Ernest M., Ivan C. and Leo. Both Ernest and Ivan have died and Leo has retired and is living in California. Leo Morgan is a former mayor of Lewiston. W. L. Morgan is technically retired but describes himself as “on the go.” He is still a partner in the firm.
The Morgan presence in the firm endures, however. Richard L. Morgan, the son of W. L., is president and general manager; Leo M. (Tun) Morgan, son of Leo Morgan, is sales manager, and Mrs. Gloria Morgan Nolder, daughter of W. L., is bookkeeper.
The firm’s initial location was at 216 Main St. in a space now partially occupied by the Young Women’s Christian Association parking lot. It moved to its present location, 1305 Main St., in 1926 and added another building in 1935.
Morgan Bros & Co., Inc., now employes 17 persons, most of whom have been with the firm for many years. The senior employe is Glen Asley, a salesman with 37 years of service.
Richard L. Morgan said yesterday the firm’s annual sales now total more than $1 million.
In addition to the wholesale company, the firm operates Morgan Pickle & Packing, which produces Uncle Bill’s pickles as one of its items. Richard Morgan and Leo Morgan Jr. are partners in the pickle firm with Michael Shaw.
“We are proud to have served the community of Lewiston and this region for half a century,” Richard Morgan said yesterday.
Morgan added that some of the major suppliers of the firm here are checking to determine whether Morgan Bros. & Co. might be their oldest continuing customers. Mergers, cooperatives and membership consolidations have resulted in the closure of many independent wholesalers, Morgan said.
This story was published in the Jan. 21, 1971, edition of the Lewiston Tribune.
