A monument in the corner of the parking lot reminds shoppers that Joe Albertson, founder of the supermarket chain, opened this store at the corner of State and 17th Streets in the summer of 1939.

Billed in the news as "Idaho's largest and finest food store," it was huge - 10,000 square feet of shopping space, eight times the size of a typical store in 1939.

According to a website that is devoted to the history of the supermarket industry, groceteria.com, 75 cents bought three pounds of tomatoes, a pound of coffee and a one-pound roast.

The store offered never-before-seen attractions: an in-store bakery, fresh popcorn, roasted nuts, a doughnut machine, and an icecream shop offering the "Big Joe's" double cone for a nickel.

Anna Webb: 377-6431