Imported Foods In Detroit Area-Ethnic Markets

[Pavla]

I just joined this forum and hope you might be able to help me with some information. A few months ago some of you [[Terryh, Gistok) were talking about an old store that used to sell imported German goods. It was Old Country Imports on Gratiot. Someone mentioned it closed in the latter 80s when the owner, Lucy Evans, died. Do you know about the store's earlier history? I believe a couple named Walter and Christine either owned it or worked there, at least in the 1970s. My father emigrated to the U.S. from Slovenia in the 1950s; I have some old letters to him from kin. A letter from 1979 talked about relatives; Walter and Christine at Old Country Imports, 14408 Gratiot, were mentioned as kin. Does anyone know their last name? Know anything of this family, if they switched businesses, etc? I've seen some older photos posted from time to time. Does anyone have a photo of this business or these people? I hope to hear from one or more of you. Thanks. Pavla

[rooms222]

I just joined this forum and hope you might be able to help me with some information. A few months ago some of you [[Terryh, Gistok) were talking about an old store that used to sell imported German goods. It was Old Country Imports on Gratiot. Someone mentioned it closed in the latter 80s when the owner, Lucy Evans, died. Do you know about the store's earlier history? I believe a couple named Walter and Christine either owned it or worked there, at least in the 1970s. My father emigrated to the U.S. from Slovenia in the 1950s; I have some old letters to him from kin. A letter from 1979 talked about relatives; Walter and Christine at Old Country Imports, 14408 Gratiot, were mentioned as kin. Does anyone know their last name? Know anything of this family, if they switched businesses, etc? I've seen some older photos posted from time to time. Does anyone have a photo of this business or these people? I hope to hear from one or more of you. Thanks. Pavla

Here is a 1983 book called Detroit Guide that lists Mrs. Evans as the owner.....

http://books.google.com/books?id=IRP...ed=0CCUQ6AEwAA

[Gistok]

I just joined this forum and hope you might be able to help me with some information. A few months ago some of you [[Terryh, Gistok) were talking about an old store that used to sell imported German goods. It was Old Country Imports on Gratiot. Someone mentioned it closed in the latter 80s when the owner, Lucy Evans, died. Do you know about the store's earlier history? I believe a couple named Walter and Christine either owned it or worked there, at least in the 1970s. My father emigrated to the U.S. from Slovenia in the 1950s; I have some old letters to him from kin. A letter from 1979 talked about relatives; Walter and Christine at Old Country Imports, 14408 Gratiot, were mentioned as kin. Does anyone know their last name? Know anything of this family, if they switched businesses, etc? I've seen some older photos posted from time to time. Does anyone have a photo of this business or these people? I hope to hear from one or more of you. Thanks. Pavla

Pavla, I wonder if the Christine [[of Walter & Christine) that you refer to is actually the person that I know as "Christl"?? I knew an employee there named Christl, and her husband was often in the store [[Walter?). I'm going to see another former employee there [[Nellie) this Friday, and ask her.

I do know that Christl and her husband bought the store contents after Lucy Evans died in the 1990s and moved to Port Richie Florida. They had a hurricane go thru the area a few years back that destroyed their house, but left the import store intact. I'll get back to you....