Re: Littleman Stores

04/19/06 - posted by John Lincoln

Wow, that was the the old United Market that I went to for years; circa 1954-1965. Cala-Littleman bought out the four-store United Market chain in about 1966. That was in the days when the City of SF, as stupid as ever, was still clinging to their circa 1890s rule prohibiting the sale of meat, fish and poultry after 18:00 Mon-Sat or at any time on Sunday or holidays; a left-over from the days when meat market display cases were cooled only by ice, which melted away by 18:00 with no late-day ice deliveries or any deliveries on Sunday or holidays. This rule was foolishly preserved until 1971 as more and more people did their shopping in the far more rational San Mateo county. The final nail in the coffin of this nonsense were the markets on Mission Street just over the county line that stole much of the business from local markets on the SF side. Diane Feinstein finally saw the light in 1971 and put an to end that stupidity; about the only smart thing she has ever done.

-jl