114. Winchester's J. M. Best Grocery

The Richmond Palladium-Item
October, 1962.


  You think your eyes are deceiving you when you leave the modern conveniences of surrounding downtown Winchester stores and walk into the J. M. Best grocery at 108 West Washington street.
  There before you stands the central heating stove, a row of candy cases like grandmother used to see, racks full of items almost forgotten in this modern space age and an owner who started the trend toward cash sales when cash sales were unheard of to any degree.
  Ed Best, grandson of Thomas Best, who started the Winchester store in 1867, and son of J. M. Best, owner of the store until taking his son Ed as partner in 1913, now owns and operates his grocery like days of old.
  He is proud that the store is the oldest business establishment in Winchester. And he is even more proud that his store is unusual in its products, giving it appeal over the supermarkets that have caused the downfall of so many small groceries.
  "We can't compete on prices with supermarkets," said Best, "so we make it up with hard-to-find articles."
  For example, seeds are one of the biggest selling items in the Best grocery and each sale brings a few choice comments from the Winchester man on how and when they should be planted.
  Candy is another big item.
  "We get the best there is available," said the 81-year-old proprietor, "including many of the hard-rock candies seldom stocked in other stores."
  In the Best grocery you can find kerosene lamps, dried fruits of the finest varieties and in bulk, peppermint lozenges, practically any variety of plant or seed desired and employees who know what it is to make "the customer always right.
  Thomas Best ran the story until 1896 when his son, J. m. Best, took over. In 1906, Ed Best came into the store to work and he learned the business quickly and from a past master.
  Like any other young man, Ed soon found he was not getting ahead as an employee for his father. So in 1913 he said he either entered the business as a partner or he was going elsewhere.
  "I bought 50 percent of the business for $700 in cash and a $1500 note held by my father," the store's present owner said.
  "And," he continued, "due to remodeling, moving and adding new products, it took me 20 years to pay off that note."
  In 1920, Best married Beshia Simmons of Winchester.
  Their only son was captured by German troops at the Battle of the Bulge during World War II and was killed by American bombs while he was being held in a Nazi prison camp.

  The Winchester grocer says he never made any money in the business until he quit selling on credit.
  "The stores of Winchester wanted to stop the credit business back during the late depression days," said Best.
  "We had a meeting of store owners," he continued, "and when the discussion started on stopping credit, I informed them the J. M. Best and Son grocery had ended all credit two days before."
  Then with a laugh he added, "it sure shook up the town of Winchester."
  Today the sign on the window says, "J. M. Best and Son cash grocery."
  Best goes in for Christmas trees, decorations and candies in a big way, saying he has a good stock in his basement now, ready for the nearing season. He gets three cases of each variety of candy that has become a standard and much sought after item each year in his store.
  He said the biggest change in one item he has seen is coffee.
  "We used to have three grades of coffee, Lion, Arbuckle and Jersey. It sold for three pounds for 25 cents and was ground in our store.
  "Blended coffee came into being in 1896 and from then until now they have experimented with the coffee beans until darn near all of it has been ruined.
  "Speed of making coffee has replaced the real taste of the drink," he said.
  How does Best decide which candy, fruit or other food product he will buy? "It is very simple," said the Winchester grocer, "I taste the food item and if I don't like what I taste, I don't buy it."
  In its 95 years, the Best store has moved five times. But today it stands on the spot where it first started in 1867 and its present owner vows it will stay there for many years to come.