The story below is from our May/June 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Photo above: Ana Morales / Archival Image Courtesy of The Virginia Room, Roanoke Public Libraries
Who remembers this once-iconic storefront?
A well-known retail chain, J.J. Newberry Co., once took up a prominent storefront on Main Street in Salem’s downtown.
The retailer started in Pennsylvania in the early 1900s and eventually, it grew to more than 400 stores. It was considered a five and dime chain of stores, selling a variety of inexpensive household items from toys to housewares.
According to news reports, the last J.J. Newberry store closed in 2001.
It’s unclear when the Salem store, pictured here, closed its doors. A digital postcard available through the Virginia Room Digital Collection at Roanoke Public Libraries describes the store as a “contemporary establishment” with two large air-conditioned floors and approximately three-fourths mile of counter space with more than 30,000 individual items. It also housed a luncheonette area serving beverages, snacks and meals.
The story above is from our May/June 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
