Historic Houston Grocery Stores

[mkultra25]

^^ I don't remember a Jamail's on this section of Alabama, but my familiarity with the neighborhood only extends back to the early 1980s. The location mentioned by E Vix sounds like Pasternak's, which was mentioned earlier in this thread. Pasternak's was on the south side of Alabama at Audubon, less than a block west of Garrott and just east of the Blue Bird Circle shop. 

 

[IronTiger]

I know that there was an A&P and Whole Foods in that same Alabama Theater commercial center (not at the same time, obviously) but not Jamail's. Of course, I don't know if that's fully true either...

[JLWM8609]

My brother worked at Jamail's as a sacker when he was a student at Lamar High School back in the late 80s. He would carry groceries out to people's cars and would even drive the van to deliver groceries to River Oaks residents. He would receive nice tips, some would tip $20 if I recall.

[Libbie]

3.  As I recall Jamail's was a moderately fancy grocery store by today's standards.  Their main location was on Kirby where the car wash next to Cafe Express is.  I rarely went in there compared to the Rice on Kirby at Alabama or the Kroger on Kirby at Richmond.  They went out of business in the late 1980s.  I think there was another, smaller location on Bissonnet, which may have been run by a different member of the same family.  

 

Once, at the smaller Jamail's, I saw an elderly lady introduce her chauffeur to the manager, or owner, and tell him that the chauffeur would often be coming in and shopping for her.  This would have been in the '80s.

[Libbie]

I know that there was an A&P and Whole Foods in that same Alabama Theater commercial center (not at the same time, obviously) but not Jamail's. Of course, I don't know if that's fully true either...

 

In my childhood, the Alabama center had (south to north, or left to right, as you faced it) a Walgreen's with a soda fountain, an A&P Supermarket, the Alabama Theater, Suzanne's Cafeteria, Wacker's Variety Store, and Western Auto.  In the mid 80s a high end Mexican restaurant--Fonda San Miguel--went up where the cafeteria had been, but didn't last long. Whole Foods was where Petsmart is now--where the dimestore Wacker's used to be.

[IronTiger]

By the way, in regards to mysteries about "other locations", I found a 1984 article that states that "Jim Jamail & Sons Food Market" was the original Kirby market, and there was a "Jamail Bros. Food Market" on South Shepherd that was owned by cousins. This was probably the operation that probably operated stores in The Woodlands (later sold to Randalls).

[GEM]

Freaky Foods..............

[KDubRedRaider]

For what it's worth, there was a Jamail's on Northpark Dr. in Kingwood from the late 1970s until the mid-1990s. It became a Holiday Foods/IGA after that and is now a Gold's Gym. Was never a "fancy" grocery store, but definitely catered to the local market. My mom knew the sackers by name and the bakery would give kids 10 and under a free cookie.

[IronTiger]

For what it's worth, there was a Jamail's on Northpark Dr. in Kingwood from the late 1970s until the mid-1990s. It became a Holiday Foods/IGA after that and is now a Gold's Gym. Was never a "fancy" grocery store, but definitely catered to the local market. My mom knew the sackers by name and the bakery would give kids 10 and under a free cookie.

The 1984 article that discusses this mentions the original store never expanded beyond Kirby, so it must have been Jamail Bros.

What happened to that store in Kingwood?

[IronTiger]

Alright, now that I've got more resources I can start piecing together everything. There were three "Jamail" stores, the first was Jamail & Sons on Kirby (the legendary grocery store that closed in the mid-1990s), Jamail Family Market on South Rice Avenue (described as "7-Eleven sized"), and the Jamail's supermarkets in Woodlands and Kingwood. Randalls bought the Woodlands stores in the late 1980s but not the Kingwood store, which had operated as Holiday Foods and is now Gold's Gym at 2213 Northpark. One of the Woodlands stores was at 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, which is NOT the Randalls store there today. The Jamail's there became Randalls but Randalls moved to a larger store WITHIN the same shopping center in 1992, with the old store becoming Sears Hardware and now The Woodland's Children's Museum. The other store I'm not sure on, as I've heard it was in the Wharf/Grogan's Mill shopping center area opened in 1978 with the Panther Creek store opening in 1983. The Grogan's Mill store probably didn't last long under the Randalls name before it was consolidated with their nearby store at Sawdust and Budde, which opened prior to the purchase. Ironically, they moved back close to that old location later when an Albertsons that had displaced part of the Grogan's Mill shopping center closed and Randalls bought that store. Do I have this all right?

[Cyndi Averyt Levit]

I am a part of the Jamail family that owned Jim Jamail and Sons on Kirby and worked there growing up. Jim was my grandfather and the sons, my uncles. Jamail Bros on Shepherd were another Jamail family related to the attorney and first cousins of my grandfather. I miss it so much and it’s so hard to explain to anyone how amazing the store was and so before it’s time. If anyone has pictures of the store please post them. I appreciate the 4 posted before. I could write an article on how amazing this place was and wish so many people I know now that weren’t around there could understand the true institution this store was.

[Specwriter]

37 minutes ago, Cyndi Averyt Levit said:

 I could write an article on how amazing this place was and wish so many people I know now that weren’t around there could understand the true institution this store was.

 

Ms. Levit, thank you for posting. I do understand and I appreciate deeply how amazing it was. Jamail's wasn't just about a great grocery store with excellent merchandise. It was the experience one had when shopping there that came from the care and consideration the employees had for the customer. That attitude came from the leadership down to everyone who worked there.

 

Isn't it interesting that phase "customer experience" has become popular lately. At one time that then un-named concept existed in many places and was simply the way things were done. No label for it was needed. Kaplan's Ben-Hur was another such place.

[Calboy]

On 4/2/2014 at 8:21 AM, Specwriter said:

Jamail's was all about service and higher quality produce and meats. Employees in the produce department would select apples, oranges, etc. and present them to you for your approval before placing them in the bag. Of course the sackers took your groceries to your car for you and placed them in the automobile at your direction. Ah, the good old days.

 

Of course the River Oaks clientele loved the service. What's the point of being wealthy if you aren't treated like royalty?

They really frowned upon touching their produce.  I received the "stink-eye" once when I did.  They knew I was an outlyer at that point.