I originally planned this article to be a profile of
several of the early business owners in Fairfax. However, in the course of my
research I realized that I had found much more information about one business
and its owners than I had for others. It was a business that I didn’t
really know anything about until I started researching Fairfax history because Yochum’s
Food Shop was out of business by the time I was born.
Ethel Mae Carr was born in 1900 in Highland County, Ohio
and Karl Everett Yochum was born in Highland County a year later. This was a
rural area and both Ethel’s and Karl’s families had farms. Ethel’s father also
managed a general store. In 1924, Ethel and Karl married in Highland County,
then moved to the Cincinnati area. They initially lived in Madisonville, then
moved to Norwood. By 1930, Karl was managing a grocery store in Madisonville.
In October 1931, a man named William Lopacher opened a
grocery at 6012 Wooster Pike in Fairfax. Within a couple of months, he sold the
store to Karl and Ethel Yochum.
Grocery shopping back then was much different than it is
now. Stores were more specialized. There were dry goods stores, butcher shops,
fish stores, and dairy dealers. Also, although a few self-service stores began
around 1916, most stores were full-service, meaning that a customer would place their grocery order by phone or provide a shopping list and clerks would
prepare the order for pickup or delivery. By the 1930s, some stores started
offering both groceries and meat, and supermarket chains, like Kroger and
Albers, were starting to grow in popularity.
Interior of Yochum's Food Shop from A History of the Village of Fairfax
by Elizabeth Steele and Patricia Kuderer. It appears that Karl and Ethel are pictured
at right and the store's butcher at left.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there were other
groceries in Fairfax. I do remember some of the other ones. The Fairfax Food
Shop (which had a number of names and owners over the years) was located at the
corner of Germania and Hawthorne, where the municipal parking lot is now
located. Watterson Market (known as Clark & Melvin in earlier days) was
located at Watterson and Elder where Fairfax Lock and Key is now. Although it
was technically in Mariemont, Brueckner’s was at the corner of Wooster and
Settle. My family patronized all three of these stores. There were apparently even more grocery stores in the early years.
Although the Yochums set up shop in Fairfax, they never,
to the best of my knowledge, actually lived in Fairfax. In the late 1930s, they
purchased a home on Settle Road in Mariemont. They were very much part of the Fairfax
community, though. Yochum's sponsored local baseball teams and Karl even played on a Fairfax team himself. Karl was on the Plainville Rural School District Board of
Education from the 1930s to the early 1940s. During his time on the Board,
Plainville High School (now Mariemont Elementary) was constructed.
Karl Yochum (upper left) and other members of the Plainville Rural School District Board of
Education from the 1941 Plainville High School Yearbook
Now, Fairfax history nerd that I am, what really
convinced me to do an article on the Yochums was having an opportunity to view some great old relics
from the store. Some of these are receipts from other historic Cincinnati-area
businesses with which Yochum's did business. Here are a few:
A 1937 receipt from our own Fairfax dairy, The J. H. Berling Dairy Products Company.
Do you remember Rubel's Rye Bread?
A 1932 receipt from The Niser Ice Cream Company
Does anyone remember Mannino's Groceries in Madisonville? They were among
Yochum's suppliers.
A Strietmann Biscuit Company receipt (for Toyland Animals and Zesta Crackers)
before Strietmann relocated to Mariemont.
"Put it on my account!"
This appears to be a listing of Yochum's credit accounts from August 1937.
Remnants of an egg carton from Yochum's Food Shop.
Paper grocery bag from Yochum's Food Shop
In 1946, the Yochums remodeled their store, giving it a
brighter appearance. The store got a good cleaning and the walls were painted.
A new 18-foot display counter was installed, giving customers a better view of and
access to the merchandise. The biggest change was that the store converted to
self-service. However, Yochum’s continued to offer clerk service to anyone who
wanted it and still offered delivery three days a week.
Ad for Yochum's Food Shop from The Messenger, March 22, 1946
Karl was an active member of the Cincinnati Retail
Grocers and Meat Dealers Association for many years, serving as a director,
vice president, and then president. Among the Association’s programs was the
popular Pure Food Show that was held for two weeks at the Cincinnati Zoo each
summer. The show featured booths, performances, cooking and homemaking classes,
fashion shows, baby contests, and live radio broadcasts. Karl was often on the
Show Committee.
Ethel was a member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary of the Retail
Grocers and Meat Dealers Association and served as president of the Cincinnati,
Ohio State, and National organizations. As a member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary,
Ethel participated in activities including selling war bonds on Fountain Square
and delivering Christmas toys to patients at Children’s Hospital.
The Yochums were also members of Fairfax Presbyterian
Church. Karl helped to organize Boy Scout Troop 272, which was sponsored by the
church. Karl was also involved in the Presbyterian Men of Cincinnati and was
the director appointed by the Fairfax Church.
After Fairfax incorporated as a village in 1955, business
owners organized a Chamber of Commerce with Karl Yochum as the first president.
He was also a director of the Fairfax Welfare Association. When the Fairfax Volunteer
Fire Department was organized, Karl joined. Later in life he was a member of the Fairfax Senior Citizens Club.
Harry Nutick (left) and Karl Yochum (right) cleaning the fire engine
after a run. From the Cincinnati Post and Times Star Volunteer Firemen's Edition, 1960.
In March 1957, Yochum’s had a 25th anniversary
celebration, which included giveaways. A local newspaper, The Messenger,
published an article about Karl, saying "He has seen the same persons come
in for a sucker or a bubble gum, later pencils and tablets for school, and
eventually a basket of groceries for a new family."
Ad from The Messenger, February 17, 1956
The grocery industry was evolving and between 1948 and
1963, the number of supermarkets in the United States tripled. Small
independent local grocers like Yochum’s found it hard to compete with large
chains. I’m not sure if it was a financial or personal decision, but Karl and
Ethel Yochum closed their grocery store in 1960. Within the next 15 to 20
years, the other small groceries in our community – Fairfax Food Shop, Watterson
Market, and Brueckner’s, also closed.
Karl remained active in the Fairfax community and he and
Ethel continued to live on Settle Road in Mariemont. In May 1974, the Yochums
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a dinner party at
Ethel’s brother’s home back in Highland County.
Ethel Yochum passed away on January 15, 1976. Services were
held at Fairfax Presbyterian Church and she was buried back home in Highland
County. In September 1977, Karl sold the home on Settle Road and moved back to
Highland County. Fairfax Village Council passed a resolution of appreciation to
recognize his service to the community.
Karl remained active after he moved to Highland County,
joining the Hillsboro Lions Club and even becoming the Class C champion of the
Highland County Senior Citizen Eight Ball Billiard Tournament at the age of 84.
In the late 1980s, Karl’s health began to fail. He passed away on March 24,
1990.
