NEIGHBORHOOD GROCERS: CAPE STILL HAS TWO STORES THAT OFFER CONVENIENCE WITHOUT GAS PUMPS

Not too many years ago, a convenience store was the small, family-owned grocery store just down the street or around the corner.

The store stocked a little of something for everyone: groceries and fresh meat cut to order, pet food and sundries, and lots of penny candy for the kids.

They often were the neighborhood gathering places where families were recognized and good conversation could be had. Home deliveries and lines of credit were the norm rather than the exception, and a good bologna sandwich was just a slice away.

Convenience stores began taking on a new meaning about 40 years ago when supermarkets began to gain popularity. Most neighborhood grocers were forced out of business as the large, franchised markets attracted customers with their lower prices and larger selections of merchandise.

Gas stations soon became the new convenience stores as they expanded their merchandise and offered odds and ends for neighborhood shoppers.

Although neighborhood markets are a dying breed, two have withstood the test of time in Cape Girardeau: Ratliff's Grocery at 1007 S. Sprigg and Werner's CGA Market at Broadway and Henderson.

Ratliff's Grocery served as an institution in South Cape Girardeau for 47 years. The store was first opened in Smelterville by Juanita Ratliff and her late husband, Carl. It relocated to 1007 S. Sprigg in 1973 after being flooded by the Mississippi River twice in one month. The store temporarily closed when Juanita Ratliff became ill in September.

But the neighborhood market reopened this week under new ownership. Robert Gipson, new owner of G&H Groceries, said close access to a market is important to neighborhood residents. People don't want to travel just to pick up a few items, he said.

"It's like an old friend," said Gipson. "This store is very convenient in the neighborhood, especially for the elderly, the handicapped and people who don't have transportation. It's also been here for a long time. People who came here as kids are now stopping in with their own children. They want this place to be open."

Delia Campbell often frequented the store before and after school. "I really missed it," she said. "It was a part of my daily circuit: I'd leave home, go to the store, then go to school, and after school I did the same thing in reverse."

Campbell, who lives around the corner from the store, said its reopening also resolves a safety issue for her son and nephews. The boys often had to pass through intersections at Shawnee Parkway and Morgan Oak to get to the nearest gas station, and she always worried that one of them would be hit by a car. The new store is much more convenient for children and adults, she said.

Gipson said the store will continue the tradition of offering deliveries to elderly and handicapped people.

He smiled when asked if he would extend credit to customers. "I'll have to talk to Mrs. Ratliff about that. She's my business manager on that matter," he said.

Gipson said Ratliff's familiar face will still be visible from time to time. She has lived only a few blocks from the store for many years, but customers still want to see her, and she wants to be in the store, he said.

"This is her life, and we don't want to take her life away from her; we want to give it back," he said. "She'll come in and work whenever she feels up to it."

Ratliff said Gipson already has made many changes to the store. She likes the freshly-painted interior and other improvements he has made, and she is glad he will still offer customers coffee and doughnuts in the mornings and sandwiches for the lunch crowd.

She is less pleased with some of the modern conveniences like a fountain soda machine near the front entrance, and more than once she has adjusted shelf items to make the store look "a little more like I used to have it."

Gipson has big plans for the store. Supermarkets are successful because customers need a large selection and more variety, he said. His goal is to draw enough customers to enlarge the building and offer a full line of groceries and household products.

Even if his goal is realized, he said the store will maintain its neighborhood-market concept.

"We're always going to need a grocery store down here, because we're cut off from the rest of the town," he said. "It'll still be convenient. I just want to offer the neighborhood the best service I can."

The other neighborhood store, Werner's CGA Market, has been serving the city from the same Broadway address since 1935. Customers say the small store stays in business because they appreciate its nostalgic atmosphere, cut-to-order meats and fresh vegetables.

Store owner Kenneth Werner refused to be interviewed for this story.