Hochstrasser's Store
From Helderberg Hilltowns of Albany County, NY
- Property owned in 1831 by ....
- General store converted from a house by Arthur Hochstrasser (1847-1923).
- 1925 the store was operated by his son Fred P. Hochstrasser (1877-1947)
- From Milton Hart's Stories: On the top of the hill was Fred Hochstrasser's Store. This was more of a general store. Fred was hooked up with Albany Hardware and Iron. I remember he sold everything from shotguns, rifles, ammunition and a little bit of groceries. He was quite a jokester old Fred was. Whenever us kids were around he would have to ask us the question, if 2+1 was shoe polish, and 3+1 was oil, what was 4+1. Well the first time we bit, saying we didn’t know, 5 he would say and then laugh and laugh over this. Of course he would ask us the same question the next week and if we said 5 it would ruin his day. So we always went along and pretended we didn’t know the answer. One day a truckload of watermelons came out from the city for Fred’s store. Well we kids saw that and we could just taste some of that melon. Fred told us that if we would help unload the melons and carry them to the back of the store, which was partially underground so it would stay cooler, he would treat us to some watermelon. When we were finished, he cut up half a watermelon and gave each of us kids a nice big slice. “I got some new stuff to put on it” he said and he came out with a little red bottle of Tabasco sauce. Well we had no idea what it was and he proceeded to sprinkle some on everybody’s melon, mine, Bobby’s, Johnny’s, Bill Flagler’s and Frank Becker, the whole crew. Well we all attacked that watermelon at about the same time. Well wow, the smoke was coming out of our mouths and Fred standing there laughing like crazy because he had put another one over on us. At the time we didn’t think it was very funny and we wanted to kill him, but we were taught to respect our elders. After he had enjoyed his little joke long enough, he cut the other half of the melon and gave us some that we could enjoy.
- In the mid 20th C. this store was owned and operated by Arthur Jacob (Jake) Conklin (1906-1982)and his wife Helen who ran it for many years.
- 21 C. the building is now apartments.
- Grand Pa's Wonder.jpg
What a soap