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Desderide Grocery Store, 1902

Desderide Grocery Store, 1902 image
Year
1902
Description

422 Detroit Street Desderide Grocery Store, 1902 Zingerman's, 1982 Italian immigrant Rocco Desderide constructed this brick-veneered building to house his grocery and confectionery business in 1902. The round arches above the windows, with their bands of corbelled bricks fanning out, have been filled in, no doubt in the 1920s when steel casement windows became popular. A carved stone near the cornice gives the date of construction. Desderide's was a central meeting place in the neighborhood, according to Ann Arbor native Milo Ryan. In his book, View of a Universe, Ryan remembers that Desderide's was second only to St. Thomas in regulating his universe. "Desderide's was known even to other neighborhoods as a paragon of corner grocery stores. His friends were legion and his store was famous for its huge pickle barrels, coffee, and Bull Durham tobacco for our dads." Though Rocco was the owner, it was clear that his wife was in charge. "We were in luck when Rocco was tending store, for into our grubby hands along with the change would go a piece of candy, a gum ball, or something equally choice." Desderide lived to be over 105 years old and a newspaper interview on his 100th birthday quoted his philosophy of longevity: "Don't work very hard and smoke a cigar every day." In 1921, Desderide sold the grocery store to the Diroff family who operated a similar kind of "Mom and Pop" store until 1980. Illness forced the Diroffs to sell their building to attorney Arthur Carpenter, founder of Kerrytown, whose attempt to operate a delicatessen was not successful. The proprietors of Zingerman's, however, who followed him in the deli business at this location, now have a million-dollar business specializing in huge sandwiches, unusual foods, and catering. They are one of Ann Arbor's major tourist attractions and the hustle and bustle of the shop is evidence of their success. They opened for business in March of 1982 and have recently expanded to operate a cafe in the house next door.

Rights Held By
Photos used to illustrate Historic Buildings, Ann Arbor, Michigan / by Marjorie Reade and Susan Wineberg.