Memories of the Pike Place Market

Dad's store was a permanent stall consisting of refrigerated display cabinets for cheese and open bins for eggs. The bins were pushed out in the morning and back behind the gate each evening. Salami & provolone were hung from hooks on the back wall. A small shelf was filled with olive oil.
The name of the store was "People's Butter Store" so of course we sold butter. We also sold oleo complete with a packet of coloring.
Dad had a store room near the back of a pet store. Huge wheels of swiss and cheddar cheese went through the aging process in that room.
There was also an egg candler set up. Dad let me candle eggs since I didn't mind being alone in a room surrounded by wheels of cheese. I also loved listening to the mynah bird from the pet store.
In those days the market was not touristy but filled with people who shopped for groceries on a daily/weekly basis. We sold products to nearby restaurants and taverns as well. Dad urged people to taste the cheese before they made a purchase.
He used to draw an audience when he sliced the wheel of cheese in half with a wire. It was amazing.
He was also known to slurp down a raw egg to prove its freshness.

The farmers changed stalls each day. They were friendly, yet competitive. Each farmer set up a colorful display. One thing they agreed on was a dislike for those who sold California produce in permanent stalls.

The young farmers amused themselves by eyeing women who passed through the market. Some took it a step further. You'd see them making out in the alley.
We didn't enjoy having them across from us comparing root vegetables to their genitals. One farmer would hold up a shriveled carrot and yell to his buddy, "This is you". We hated to give them any satisfaction but sometimes they did make us laugh.
They were hard working young men and probably needed to have some fun to keep their sanity.

We had a variety of customers including a woman who sold "The People's World", rumored to be a communist newspaper.
Women who worked at the LaSalle Hotel, a place of ill repute, would stop by in the morning to buy fresh eggs....Everyone needs a good breakfast.

One of my worst memories was at our storage room near the LaSalle. I heard a whistle, looked up and there was a man exposing his extremely long, skinny penis.
I picked up the egg cartons, locked the door, ignored him and headed back .
I told my Dad about the incident and he tore out after him, considering Dad's temper, it was a good thing he was gone.

Servicemen would flirt with us until Dad would ask them rather sternly to "kindly allow us our display!"

Most of our customers were nice but one of our regulars told my sister Barbara that she needed more exercise between her legs. We ducked behind the counter to hide our embarrassment.
We had one sweet man named Voltaire Utribini. Each week he would demonstrate his ability to hit a high C. He was eccentric and actually believed he was accomplishing this feat.

It was in the market near our storeroom that I saw a two inch long cockroach. I had to step on it and still remember the crunch!

On warm days we kept the cheese in the cooler. One day we forgot to put away the limburger cheese. A customer asked if he could eat the cheese that was crawling on the shelf. We looked over and were shocked to see cheese worms. for the first. He scooped them up and enjoyed the feast. Live bacteria...a tasty treat!

Many people would point to the eggs they wanted and most of us would comply. However, our sister Judy would not wait on them until they actually used words. Thinking back, she's lucky she didn't get hit by an egg.

I remember thinking the farmers were cruel to throw leftover lettuce against a wall so garbage pickers wouldn't get it. When one of the garbage pickers died, they found her mattress full of money. Who knew?

Dad was always willing to help those in need but had no patience with shoplifters.
He once spotted a man slipping eggs in his pocket. He approached the man,"How are you doing Buddy?" patted him down, making sure the eggs hidden in his pocket were smashed in the process.