Green Grocers of New Zealand, 1920s - #4

A Chinese family in their green grocer's store, circa 1910s or 1920s. Unidentified.

The images in this short series of green grocer stores underscore the orderliness of the produce, everything stacked in its place, or strung like this row of pineapples above the patrons' and greengrocer's heads.

One wonders how many of the young 'uns in this photo led this business into the next generation. I'd pick all three were and that they passed it on to the next generation.A few of the descendants will, of course, have escaped the kingdom of pineapples and thickets of asparagus.

J A Hazelwood Grocery Store #4 - 1940s - Upper Hutt, Wellington

Main Street, Upper Hutt, 1940s, showing J A Hazelwood's store on left past Provincial Hotel (click image for larger view). Post Office is in right foreground while the Bank of Australasia is on the opposite corner. Alexander Turnbull Library.

 

Hazelwood's store frontage can be seen in right foreground in a circa 1940s photo of Main Street, Upper Hutt. The store continued to operate at least into the 1950s based on photos of the period. Alexander Turnbull Library.

J A Hazelwood Grocery Store #3 - 1904c to 1922 - Upper Hutt, Wellington

 J A Hazelwood Drapery & Hardware Store, circa 1900s. People identified as,from left to right: L Greenwood, H Hazelwood (brother of J A), J Gillies, P Hazelwood, J A Hazelwood, W N Pepperill, Fred Hill (baker), F L Brace (accountant), George Morgan (Akatarawa farmer). Photo: C Davies. Alexander Turnbull Library. (click on image for larger view)

Finally back to continue the series of Upper Hutt posts...

Around 1904, J A Hazelwood moved into his third store, this time a two storey brick building built for the purpose. It was eventually to be destroyed by fire on 1 February, 1922.

 

Group, including members of the Hazelwood family, standing outside J A Hazelwood's general store, Upper Hutt, circa 1906. Photographer unidentified. Left to right: W N Pepperell; F C Brace; (back) J Gillies; (kerb) Charlie Morris; Herbert Hawks; Percy Hazelwood; May Hazelwood; J T Hazelwood and J A Hazelwood. Left of centre - right of way. Far left - Brace & Pratt. Alexander Turnbull Library. (click on image for larger view)

J A Hazelwood Grocery Store #2 - 1900c - Upper Hutt, Wellington

This is probably J A Hazelwood's Second Store on Main Street, Upper Hutt, circa late 1890s to early 1900s. Alexander Turnbull Library.

James Alfred Hazelwood is on the right with a bicycle. The man with the child is probably Mr Gillies. Bill Wilkie is one of the other men. A group of children and a dog stand in the centre. They stand with tools of the trade around them - bicycles for deliveries and a hand cart  for heavier loads, such as the parcels pictured, is on the right.

The Hazelwoods vacated these premises around 1904, moving into a larger brick building in that year. 

Must dig deeper...

E Reece & Sons, Hardware Store, Colombo St, Christchurch early 1900s

Ground floor Retail Showroom of E Reece & Sons, circa 1900.
click images for larger image view.

Established in 1856 by Edward Reece, who had arrived in Christchurch the previous year, the firm of E Reece & Sons as it became served the residents of the city for many decades. Edward sent his son William to England for his education and upon his return in 1879, William was given management of the firm by his father. Upon Edward's death in 1887, ownership was shared by William and his brother C S Reece. William took sole ownership of the firm in 1892 upon his brother's retirement. He served as the Mayor of Christchurch in 1900, the city's Jubilee year.

The original premises, an old wooden building with three foot gables was demolished in 1870 to be replaced on the same site on Colombo Street by a three storey brick building designed to house both the wholesale and retail operations of the business.

Reece & Sons frontage on Colombo St, Christchurch in the 1890s
Cyclopedia of New Zealand

In the early 1900s, the ground floor was occupied by the retail showroom, extending some 150 feet back from the entrance, where a wide range of items were on display, including sterling silver and electro plated ware, fancy goods, cutlery, toilet and general brushware, lamps, filters, general furnishing ironmongery of all descriptions, cricket, tennis, and croquet tools, Milner's safes, brass foundry, bicycles and bicycle sundries, all kinds of fencing material, lawnmowers, farm and garden tools.

Reece's also took pride in offering a comprehensive line of guns and ammunition:

Reece & Sons ad
The Star, 10 June 1905

On the second floor, a further showroom held register fire-grates, hearths, mantels, and overmantels for all price ranges, while the third floor held reserve stocks of lamps and tinware. In the basement, Reece's stock of lubricating oils was stored.

Wholesale operations were housed in an adjoining three storey building located on Lichfield Street.