Corner Store Nostalgia

Photo: Peter Woodall

Photo: Peter Woodall

Turn-of-the-century corner stores are an important, but often overlooked part of our city’s urban landscape. The storefront at the northeast corner of 8^th and Carpenter in Bella Vista is among the most intact, still bearing its original doors, curved glass, and woodwork.

It was originally G. T. Manlio Drugs, a pharmacy operated by Italian immigrant Gennaro Tito Manlio. Manlio arrived in Philadelphia in 1893, and established a pharmacy across from his home at 938 South 8^th Street. He eventually became well-known for hosting an annual dinner for fellow “druggists” at nearby Hotel Palumbo.

Later, it became Sam Grasso’s, a grocery store and delicatessen, operated by Italian immigrant Salvatore Grasso. Grasso passed away in 1985.

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