Pick Temple - 1950s Giant Food Opening

(Courtesy:Tom Buckley "eyeontv") Pick Temple hosts the Sunday opening of a brand new Giant Food store in the Northern Virgina area; circa the mid-'50s. (No food was sold during the celebration because Blue Laws normally kept all supermarkets closed on Sunday.)

Although unconfirmed, a retired Giant Food exec believes this is store #35 on Route 7. The Giant was built at one end of the shopping center and a Safeway at the other. Izzy Cohen wanted to open the week BEFORE Safeway, so everyone worked around the clock, electricians and all, (triple time paychecks). They took the last load of trash out of the store at noon. Pick Temple arrived at 1PM for the opening. The construction company owner gave Izzy a new car after the project was complete.

The soundtrack features two of Pick's folk tunes from his LP album, "Pick of the Crop".
(Visit http://KaptainKidshow.com for more Pick Temple facts.)

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Pick
• Temple
• picktemple
• Giant
• Food
• Folk
• Washington
• DC
• Methodist
• 10
• 000
• Years
• Kids

[silverbee2007]

OMG, I loved this. It was great . . .Which Giant Food Store was this??? Location - I'd love to know

[kaptainkidshow]

Although unconfirmed, a retired Giant Food exec believes this is store #35 on Route 7. The Giant was built at one end of the shopping center and a Safeway at the other. Izzy Cohen wanted to open the week BEFORE Safeway, so everyone worked around the clock, electricians and all, (triple time paychecks). They took the last load of trash out of the store at noon. Pick Temple arrived at 1PM for the opening. The construction company owner gave Izzy a new car after the project was complete.

[marylandbluejay]

R.I.P. Izzy Cohen

[brainfart101]

When Izzy died and the foreign (not that it matters) corporate bottom dollar clowns took over, Giant started its downward spiral. It's a damn shame to see how pathetic Giant has become. When he was at the helm customer service was a top priority as well as workers and their treatment. Now their only concern is not to spend anymore money than they have to, whether it's on customer service or especially employees. Instead of corporations the world needs a lot more REAL business people like Izzy.

[neonnorm]

This has been on my favorites for 4 years and I still crack up at that boy with chocolate on his face at 3:35!

[granprix49]

@dennisl2008

I was a Ranger too, LOL my mother sent in the post card for me to go for my birthday, LOL good memories

[dennisl2008]

I got to be a "Lucky Ranger" when I sent a postcard into his show. Good Times!

"Don't put off until Tomorrow, what you can do Today!", was his sign off 'catch phrase", remember?

[MrRETEROROB]

I'm from the Northern Va. area and lived there until 2005. Giant did go downhill in quality and service around '01 or '02.

[wayniac917]

@helloperson68 i feel bad for you. i worked for then for 6 years before going to to a vendor that serviced their stores before our contract was bought out. Giant is a horrible place to work.

[helloperson68]

I work at Gaint!

[EdM021]

Just how big was that Giant? It looks ENORMOUS, like a modern day Super G / Super Giant!

[HuasoPodrido]

looks like the lines at Giant exsiste back then also.

[mcknigs]

Where on Rt. 7? (it goes from Old Town to Winchester). I grew up across from the one on Rt. 7 in Bradlee, but I've seen aerial photos that suggest that when it was built, it was about the only thing in that shopping center.