Mac's Grocery • 413 N. Raleigh


Mac's Grocery operated at 413 N. Raleigh from 1931 to 1980. It was one of many small, neighborhood markets which once dotted the city.

According to online tax records, the building dates from 1887. Sanborn Fire Insurance maps appear to confirm that date. The first newspaper mention found for the address was in 1901. The building was enlarged sometime betwen 1892 and 1930.

Before the market became "Mac's" in 1931, it was Small's Cash Grocery, operated by Walter A. Small (1873-1947).

"Mac" was Edward James McKillican (1895-1968); he ran the store with Marguerite J. Tuohy (1886-1999). Mac evidently became ill in 1965, and an ad was placed in the Independent Record announcing the closure of the market. However, Marguerite continued to operate the business until 1980. She died in Washington state in 1999.

Mac's was the victim of fire at least three times over the decades. Unbeknownst to Mac, the October 1935 earthquakes loosened a stovepipe from the chimney in the store's attic, causing a fire which damaged the attic and roof on Oct. 30.

There was a chmney fire in 1939, and in 1963 a smouldering cigarette caught paper bags on fire beneath a store counter. None of these blazes caused major damage.


Ceretana was a brand of animal feed and flour produced in Montana from the 1890s to the 1990s.

Many feed and flour brands of that era, particularly during the Great depression, were packaged in colorful printed cotton sacks that were designed to be reused as sewing fabric.

An online search for examples of (or information about) such decorative prints from Ceretana yielded no results.