I really enjoy looking back at the first half of the 20th century, in the time before supermarkets or shopping malls. Before the advent of the internet and the conscious effort to buy local, shopping at your local store was just the way of life. During this global pandemic, we’ve struggled to find ways to either pick up groceries curbside or have them delivered, but back in those times, home delivery of groceries and other products was commonplace.
Like most grocers of his time, Arthur C. Lailer delivered groceries to the homes of his customers. South Portland Historical Society photo
Even in a small neighborhood, like Ferry Village on South Portland’s east end, there were many local stores to choose from. Shopkeepers were normally residents of the community. Such was the case with Arthur Lailer, who ran his grocery at 71 Preble St. and lived right in the same building with his family.
Arthur C. Lailer was born in 1885 in Bristol, Maine, the son of Frank and Margaret (Erskine) Lailer. He moved to South Portland sometime around 1906, taking a job as a ship carpenter at Portland Shipbuilding on Front Street. He married Leta Shaw in 1906. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Wilmot Lord of the Peoples Methodist Episcopal Church on High Street. Arthur and Leta had two children: Beatrice, born in 1909, and Arthur, Jr., born in 1914.
While he was first a carpenter by trade, Arthur Lailer developed a love for the grocery business. Around 1909, he partnered with George West in a new grocery store, known as West and Lailer, at 71 Preble St. Arthur’s parents lived next door at 69 Preble St. and his father listed himself as a farmer there.
Arthur Lailer received a patent in 1914 for this design of a metal milk bottle holder that could be clipped into a basket to hold the bottle upright. South Portland Historical Society image
West and Lailer appears to have only operated for about a year. In 1910, the grocery is no longer listed in local directories and Arthur had moved in with his parents at 69 Preble St. But by 1911, Arthur had reopened the grocery at 71 Preble St. and moved his family into the residence there. He operated the grocery as a proprietor from 1911 until about 1920. For many of those years, his father Frank worked as a clerk in the store.
It was during that time of operation of the store, which included delivery of groceries to his customers’ homes, that Arthur Lailer came up with a design for a milk bottle holder. The wire holder could clip into any basket, holding a milk bottle upright so that it didn’t tip over or otherwise roll around in the basket on its way to be delivered. He applied for and received a patent on Feb. 10, 1914.
By 1921, Arthur had branched out into some new opportunities. He went into partnership with his brother Thomas in “Lailer Bros.,” a garage at 141 Sawyer Street. His brother George took over the store operation at 71 Preble Street, and Arthur went into partnership with Roy Etheridge in a new grocery, known as Lailer and Etheridge, at 270 Woodford Street in Portland. He also opened another grocery under his own name at 119 Spring Street in Portland.
Around 1924, Arthur and his family returned to the residence at 71 Preble St. and he again operated the store there as a proprietor through roughly 1931. Given the timing of the store closing, it would match many other grocers who were hard hit by The Depression, especially as it was common practice in those days to extend credit to all of your customers and, with customers now unable to pay, many grocers were forced out of business. Arthur went to work at the Burnham and Morrill (B & M) factory in Portland, working as a labeler and packer for many years.
Arthur Lailer’s grocery store was located on the first floor of a building at 71 Preble St. in Ferry Village. South Portland Historical Society photo
When the shipyards opened in South Portland during World War II, Arthur found better paying work there, working at the west yard – South Portland Shipbuilding – and when the two shipyards combined in 1943, he continued working for New England Shipbuilding through the end of the war. He then returned to his original trade, ship carpentry, and worked on boat building for the remainder of his working years. He retired in 1951.
South Portland Historical Society offers a free Online Museum with over 15,000 images available for viewing with a keyword search, and we are adding new content regularly. You can find it at https://sphistory.pastperfectonline.com. If you have photographs or other information to share about South Portland’s past, we would love to hear from you. South Portland Historical Society can be reached at 207-767-7299, by email at sphistory04106@gmail.com, or by mail at 55 Bug Light Park, South Portland, ME 04106.
Kathryn Onos DiPhilippo is executive director of the South Portland Historical Society. She can be reached at sphistory04106@gmail.com.
For a few years, Arthur Lailer operated this grocery on Woodford Street in Portland with Roy Etheridge. From the city of Portland, 1924 Assessor’s records. South Portland Historical Society photo
Many other grocers operated from the store at 71 Preble St. over the years. An image from about 1942 shows the store when Raymond Romano was running it as Ray’s Market. South Portland Historical Society photo
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
