Date: 1926

 

Description: This is a certificate of stock for five shares of the O. J. Moore Grocer Company, a whole grocer here in Sioux City. O. J. Moore’s company was originally C. Shenkberg and Company, started 1882 by Conrad Shenkberg. Shenkberg’s business seemed to be booming; he quickly moved from the small warehouse on Pearl Street to a larger one on Pierce, and in subsequent years added more floors to the warehouse to make room. However as early as 1892 Shenkberg was having business problems. He hired Oliver J. Moore as a general manager to help keep the business afloat, and for much of the 1900s Moore was basically running things with Shenkberg (and his son Franz) as a figurehead. In 1916 Moore purchased the rights to the company from the Shenkbergs and it was renamed Moore-Shenkberg Grocer Company. By 1920 the Shenkbergs had virtually dissolved from management of the business and the company was renamed again, O. J. Moore Grocer Company. For most of the 20s the company did very well. Stocks like these sold quickly, new warehouses in Sioux City opened, brand names like First Prize and Honey Moon started, and there was even its own chain of retail stores, Moore’s Cash and Carry, across four different states. The company sold a wide variety of grocery products, such as cigars, candy, extracts, spices, and coffee. However, O. J. Moore died in 1928 at the age of 58, leaving his son James as president, who was a much less astute businessman compared to his father. On top of that the Great Depression hit Sioux City hard, and the grocery company was bought out in 1935.

 

Donor: H. J. Swinney