In 1919, the city guide listed a grocery store at 602-604 S Main, evidently co-owned by S. Lee Hall and Silas E. Holland.
Golden Rule Grocery robbed, 1927
In the 1925 guide, there was a Golden Rule Grocery listed there. My News-Record access goes back to 1927. This article about the Golden Rule robbery was from October 3, 1927.
I recently gained access to newspaperarchive.com, which allowed me to go as far back as 1926. Note this death notice:
Frank Nott dies at son John’s home and business site, February 1926
Young J.W. Nott hit by a car and injured, September 4, 1927
This newspaper report is dated September 4, 1927, about a 17-month-old J.W. Nott being hit by a car in front of 310 S Main, the location of a home AND a store owned by J.B. Nott. Note that other articles give 301 as Nott’s address, this is a typo. The 1925 city guide shows that address was a residence only for John Nott, his occupation listed as “dray.” There are no Notts in the 1919 city guide.
The Golden Rule wasn’t mentioned in the paper after 1927, except for a disputed tax in 1928 which often happened after a business closed.
In January, 1928, a two-room apartment was listed for rent at 301 S Main in the name of Nott Grocery.
April 5, 1929, first mention of Nott’s Grocery at 604 S Main
On April 5, 1929, the first printed ad appeared in the paper giving Nott’s Grocery an address of 604 S Main. They bought out the Golden Rule grocery and relocated to their present-day address.
Nott’s 41st year in a 1967 ad
Then, sealing the deal, I found a mention of Nott’s celebrating their 41st year in a 1967 ad.
However, since the Golden Rule grocery that they bought out was established in 1919, they can indeed claim a history dating to that year.
So there you have it. John Nott, former dray, founded Nott’s Grocery in 1926, at 301 S Main. When they bought out the Golden Rule Grocery, they moved three blocks south to 604.