Corpus Christi (Portland, Bonham, Mart: high school, stores, bills)

[sunshineforseniors]

Any residents of Corpus Christi who knows the name of the supermarket at the corner of Weber and Lexington (now called SPID) in 1969 please let me know if it was called Bills Supermarket or Opportunity? Thanks so much!

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by sunshineforseniors

Any residents of Corpus Christi who knows the name of the supermarket at the corner of Weber and Lexington (now called SPID) in 1969 please let me know if it was called Bills Supermarket or Opportunity? Thanks so much!

my dad was an old timer newspaper distributor on the southside for many years. he says that that was called "biel's" supermarket.

[Marlow]

There was also a Biel's Grocery on Alameda close to Louisiana. I'm pretty sure I saw Mr. Biel's obituary in the paper somewhat recently.

[wehotex]

Originally Posted by Marlow

There was also a Biel's Grocery on Alameda close to Louisiana. I'm pretty sure I saw Mr. Biel's obituary in the paper somewhat recently.

by incarnate word high school?

[Marlow]

Yes, and now it's part of IWA. The building is, anyway. For a while it was a neurologist's office but the school bought it several years ago.

[SOM]

Wow, I used to hang around behind that market and smoke when I went to IWA.....thanks for the memories!

[Philip1951]

In 1969 the store was called Biel Grocery. My first job was with Biel's Grocery on Ayers st. in 1965. The manager was Chatter Woodruf.I knew the Biel Bros. and the whole Biel family. The first Biel store was downtown.
The stores that I remember were on Ayers st(1), Alameda(1), Staples(3)
SPID(1), Leopard st.(2)Morgan st(1) Shell Rd.(1) Portland (1). There was a total of 13 stores, but I can't recall where the other two were. The other Supermarket operators at that time were H.E.Butt Grocery Co. and the Handy Andy stores. Wow!!! what memories......

Originally Posted by sunshineforseniors

Any residents of Corpus Christi who knows the name of the supermarket at the corner of Weber and Lexington (now called SPID) in 1969 please let me know if it was called Bills Supermarket or Opportunity? Thanks so much!

[Philip1951]

The Opportunity stores were founded in around 1971. They were founded by two men. Paul Conrad, and a backer out of Louisana named R.O. Rush. The operation was first headed up by Fiesta Mart's founder in 1973 Donald Bonham. The operation was later turned over to a gentleman named Bill Heller.

[Tbiel]

the name was "Biel's Supermarket."

[Tbiel]

Originally Posted by Marlow

There was also a Biel's Grocery on Alameda close to Louisiana. I'm pretty sure I saw Mr. Biel's obituary in the paper somewhat recently.

Yes, my father-in-law has passed away in 2007.