7 Mile Market – The Store that Jack Built
Once upon a time, before Seven Mile Market was even a thought, there was Jack’s grocery store. Little did Jacob (Jack) and Rose Boehm, its Holocaust-survivor owners, dream that their little mom-and-pop store would be the forerunner of the soon-to-be largest kosher supermarket in the nation. In an exclusive WWW interview, the behind-the-scenes story of one of our community’s major institutions is revealed.
Growing up in Czechoslovakia, Jack Boehm was extremely close to his grandfather, and spent a lot of time in his grocery/clothing business. “I remember going to the flea market with my grandfather when I was 14 years old,” recalls Mr. Boehm. “My grandfather taught me a lot about business. I used to buy walnuts and dried fruits for him from the peasants on the farms, and he would give me suits and money, as pay. I took a liking to business. Finding a job is a hard thing; sometimes you have one, sometimes you don’t. But a business keeps on going.”
When Mr. Boehm survived the war – a miraculous story in itself – and arrived in America, he worked at various jobs before going into business for himself. “It was very hard to find a decent-paying job here because of the mentality of the old-timers in America; they didn’t like the newcomers,” explains Mr. Boehm. “When I first arrived, I got paid 75 cents an hour, minimum wage. I did not know the language. I later worked for a good while in the stockroom of a men’s clothing store, receiving goods. Because the pants and jackets were made in different places, I had to match them and put them together. Another worker who was not an immigrant made more than I did, even though I knew that I was worth more than he was. I went to the boss, who spoke Yiddish, and asked for a raise,” continues Mr. Boehm. “He didn’t want to give it to me since I didn’t know English. He offered me half of what he offered the other workers, so I left.”
By then, Mr. Boehm knew some English and was able to read the newspaper. “I packed a lunch and went to look for a job at the businesses that were advertised in the paper. At one of the places, I got so frustrated that I asked, `Are all Americans born experienced?’ The boss was a secular American Jew. He liked what I said and told me that he would let me know in a few days what his decision was regarding hiring me. When I called him to follow up, he told me that he would try me out as a die cutter. I cut the paper which would be used for envelopes. At the end of the week, he asked me how many children I had. At the time, I had two. He gave me a check for $40, and I was surprised, because in the beginning, when I was learning how to do this job, I ruined so many papers. I got better at my job and lasted a long time there.
“I didn’t tell my boss from the beginning that I was shomer Shabbos – because it was the summer I did not have to leave early on Friday. After I knew the work better, I told him that I had to leave earlier for Shabbos and Yamim Tovim, and would come in earlier to make up the time. He had taken a liking to me, so he gave me the key to the place, and I came in at 5 a.m. and left late at night. He even paid me overtime, although I told him he didn’t have to. I made $50 to $60 a week, which was a lot of money at that time.”
Before long, Mr. Boehm could no longer work in the paper factory; he got sick from the dust of the paper and had to quit. “This was in 1953,” he says. “I came home and told my wife that I was starting a business. She was scared to take the risk. I rented a store at 3500 Park Heights Avenue and opened a fresh fruit and vegetable store. At first I arranged for the fruit and vegetable wholesaler to deliver to me. I had nice stuff at good prices. I couldn’t even afford a cash register in the beginning. I worked my way up and then bought one, as well as a refrigerator. I built shelves for the store. I learned how to drive and bought a used truck, which I drove to the market at four in the morning, so that I could select the best fruits and vegetables for the most reasonable cost.
“I got friendly with an Italian fellow at the market, who took a liking to me. My business was going pretty well at the time. He would call me from the fruit and vegetable wholesaler’s auction and ask me what I wanted. He got good prices, and we combined our orders. I slowly worked myself up. I rented part of the store to someone who sold fish.”
It was around this time that the Boehms visited the Friedmans in Philadelphia. (Mrs. Friedman and Mrs. Boehm are sisters.) The Friedmans were not happy raising their family in a neighborhood that was not frum, and the Boehms soon convinced them to move to Baltimore. “I asked my brother-in-law if he would like to be my business partner,” recalls Mr. Boehm. “We lived in a duplex on Park Heights. The Friedmans lived downstairs, and we lived upstairs. I fixed my house up myself; I installed the linoleum and sanded the wooden floors. Mrs. Friedman minded all the Friedman and Boehm children, while my wife and I and Chaim Lipa (Leopold) Friedman minded the store. We both made a living. But after a few years, the neighborhood changed and there was not enough business for both of us, so I moved to an empty store on the 5200 block of Park Heights Avenue, near Belvedere.
“I took out a big ad for opening day. I went to Barton’s in New York and asked them to make me six-ounce packages of candy for giveaways. I was very busy the first week. I started slowly and made a meager living. Then some people moved in who needed chalav Yisrael. There were lots of problems with transporting it from New York. I took my chances and ordered it, and it worked out well.”
Mr. Boehm was in that store for a few years, until the building was sold, in 1970. The new landlord told him he had to move in two months, or he would double the rent for the following month and would double it each month after that. “I didn’t know where to go,” says Mr. Boehm. “I couldn’t find any suitable location and decided I was closing up and what will be, will be. I started selling out my remaining stock and was not purchasing any new merchandise. I took my daughter for a ride on Reisterstown Road and noticed a man putting up a `For Rent’ sign on a storefront. I went over to him and inquired about it. It was a lot bigger than what I had, and he wanted $525 a month. It was in very bad shape. I fixed the store up myself. I sanded, put in counters, and made shelves. Slowly, I filled up the store. We did much more business, and we were able to help a lot of people. We collected a lot of money for people who were not able to pay their bills. Before Pesach, we gave out thousands of dollars. There was no Ahavas Yisroel organization back then. My wife approached a lot of people about giving money, who might not ordinarily give charity. She explained to them that there are a lot of people who can’t afford their food and don’t eat. One older bachelor told her, `If you tell me, I know you mean it,’ and he gave her $2,000; she even collected as much as $12,000 for `food certificates.’”
Many present-day food service businessmen in Baltimore were employed by Jack’s at some point. These include Yaffa Ankri, Fishel Gross, Fred Weiss, as well as Mr. Boehm’s son, Hershel, the present owner of Seven Mile Market. One could say that Hershel grew up in the store. “On Friday afternoons we had English at TA,” says Hershel, who is an alumnus of Torah Institute. “When I was about 10 years old, while the other boys played baseball, I stayed to play for only about a half hour before going to our store so my mother could go home and get ready for Shabbos. I worked the register. I can still remember the feeling of apprehension that some of our customers had entrusting me with things like packing their eggs!
“When I was 13 or 14 years old, I had to come home from Ner Yisrael to help out on Friday afternoons, as well,” continues the junior Mr. Boehm. “I used to go on the deliveries to show the drivers the stops. When I was about 19 or 20, and Jack’s had to move out of Park Heights Avenue, I was learning in yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael. As soon as my father found the new location [the store now occupied by Tov Pizza] for Jack’s, he called me to come home. I had no plans at the time of going into business. I thought I would be learning for a while. I let life take its course.”
After a while, Hershel started taking over more and more of the business at Jack’s, and the elder Boehms moved from partial to total retirement. In 1988, Hershel was approached by Josh Gutman, a”h , who owned a wholesale business and a retail butcher shop at the time, with a proposal to join forces and open a supermarket in the Valu-Food building (formerly a Safeway supermarket) on the corner of Seven Mile Lane and Reisterstown Road.
Thus, 21 years ago, Jack’s grocery store was closed, and Seven Mile Market was born. Those of you who remember those good old days might recall the card file box kept next to Jack’s cash register. It contained the names of people who had bought their groceries on credit. About $20,000 was still owed at the time Jack’s closed. Almost all of that money was paid up.
After the new store opened, the Boehms continued to empathize with and help out kosher consumers who could not afford to buy groceries. Says the senior Mr. Boehm, “I was worried that some customers would not be able to buy food at times if there was not some sort of credit system in place. I opened up an account of $5,000 and gave the store head checks, to be used by these families.”
Although he had already retired, Mr. Boehm temporarily left retirement to teach the Seven Mile Market employees how to run the kitchen and appetizing departments. Presently, in keeping with the Boehm tradition, Hershel works in the business with his brother-in-law, Simcha Retter. Also included among his 100 full- and part-time employees are other family members.
The secular press has made Seven Mile Market’s move to its new location (the former Safeway on 201 Reisterstown Road) front page news, but Hershel prefers to play it down. “I don’t want to stress that it is the largest,” he comments. “I wasn’t looking to expand for that reason. I just wanted to make the store larger and more convenient for our customers. There have been many suggestions as to what to do with the extra space, but for various reasons – like zoning issues, codes, and financial feasibility – some of them will not work.”
And what about Mr. Jack Boehm? After having escaped war-torn Europe and struggling to succeed in America, how does he feel to know that his son will open (hopefully, by summer’s end) the largest kosher supermarket in the nation?
“Hershel deserves it,” says Mr. Boehm. “He’s a big baal chesed and baal tzedaka. There is a Hebrew saying, `Whatever Hashem does, He does for the good.’ I knew when they sold the Park Heights building that was, for me, a big push. So, I hope here too, with the new move, that they should be matzliach (successful)!”
c Margie Pensak-2010
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Free Advice
by Rebecca Feldbaum
Over the past few weeks all the “buzz” in town has been about the expansion of Seven Mile Market. The Baltimore Sun even had a front-page article stating that the new SMM will be the largest kosher supermarket in America.
With that in mind, I spoke to a few friends, colleagues, and teenagers (who really are experts in everything!) about what the new store could offer our community. Listed below are the top ten suggestions.
Valet Service: It is so hard for mothers with young children to schlep their kids in and out of your store. And, it is especially difficult for grandparents taking their grandchildren! (One friend told me she took her grandson shopping, then put him in his car seat and headed home – but she forgot to take her groceries!) Wouldn’t it be nice, therefore, to have a valet service, so that we remember to bring home both the kids and the groceries? This would definitely be a big help during inclement weather and Yom Tov shopping. And, don’t forget to have our friendly Chaverim on 24/6 call in case the valet can’t start someone’s car!
Food Court: This has been an ongoing discussion in the Feldbaum household. We think part of the store should definitely be sectioned off for food service. Our suggestions are a sushi bar, make-your-own-ice cream-sundae section, knish counter, a variety of lattes served with or without whipped cream, all Star-K approved Slurpees, pizza slices, a cotton candy machine, salad bar, hot pretzel stand, and, of course, a separate fleishig section for burgers and fries. You get the picture! A nice variety of food for every member of the family.
Massage: The people who run in and out of SMM are usually doing just that: continually running. How nice to know that there is a massage chair they can use – or even a real masseur and masseuse on call. And, while we’re at it, why not have a manicurist on staff, too! There is nothing like food shopping with beautifully manicured nails!
Gym Area: On the other hand, some customers need to get a little pumped up before they start strolling through those long aisles in the newly-expanded store. Please provide an exercise area so they can strengthen their muscles before they start their shopping. Basic gym equipment for this includes weights, a few benches, and treadmills. The Chesed Fund would probably be able to donate all the gym equipment!
Carts and Bags: The blue SMM plastic bags have got to go! There are so many talented graphic designers in our community. Surely they can come up with a nicer design and prettier color! For those concerned about the environment, how about a light shade of green with colorful flowers for those environment-friendly bags. And, while we are at it, we need carts equipped to hold the many accessories we need for shopping: purse, drink holder, and a place for the all-important cell phone.
Music: After hearing those boys choir CDs blasting in our ears, it is time for a change. (Trust me on this one!) Hire a professional one-man band and softly pipe the music throughout the store. The bandstand can be set up in front of the checkers, so we will be entertained during those long Thursday-night and erev-Yom Tov lines. A strolling minstrel would be a nice touch, too!
Nice Displays and Colorful Sections: Okay, the larger new store will have plenty of room, so let’s forget those cardboard box specials in the middle aisle. The store should have a classy look. Each section of the store should be a different color to make it easier to shop: i.e., green for the vegetable section, red for the meat counter, etc. Signs over the aisles should be in big bold type, not some flowery script we can’t read. (Yes, I am speaking for all the Baby Boomers out there.)
Shadchan Booth: If SMM really wants to service our community properly, this is a must! Singles often have trouble getting through to a shadchan, so what a perfect place to meet – at the busiest store in town. The hours will prove to be convenient to everyone. Appointments will have to be made in advance and you need a flashing sign outside your store listing the `shadchan of the week’. The private room designated for this will need to be equipped with a desk, computer, two comfortable chairs, soda machine, and a large bottle of extra-strength Tylenol.
Purim Costumes: I have noticed that many rebbeim, principals, doctors, mechanics, shadchanim, etc. slither through the SMM aisles for fear of being recognized and hounded. I therefore suggest that a wide array of Purim costumes be offered, so that they can shop incognito! On the other hand, many new parents/grandparents are thrilled to be noticed so that they can show off their new offspring – or pictures of them. When they enter SMM, they should be able to enter their information into a computer, which will cause their name to be prominently displayed on a board up front. A tracking device should list what aisle they are in. Anyone who has something they would like to share with the community at large should be allowed this opportunity, as well.
Kiddy Area: For those children who do not appreciate being pushed in a shopping cart or dragged through the store, a play area with bouncing balls, building toys, and a huge swing set would be a welcome touch. A full-time babysitting staff will be required, but if all the babysitters are absent one day, I’m sure the NWCP and Shomrim would be happy to fill in and stand guard over the children in their spare time.
I hope that Seven Mile Market will seriously consider some of these outstanding ideas I have gathered. Let’s make the new and improved SMM not only the grandest store in America (watch out Pomegranate!) but a place we can have some fun, t
