East Austin's Green & White Grocery

This article is based on an abbreviated copy of the historical marker application written by Catalina Cherñavvsky Sequeira, Preservation Austin

Original Green & White Grocery

Green & White Grocery. Photo courtesy Preservation Austin, https://www.preservationaustin.org/news/2022/3/15/east-austin-barrio-landmarks-green-amp-white-grocery

 

Green & White Grocery began as a family owned and operated business in 1936 at its only and current location on the corner of Waller Street and East 7^th Street. That year, Norverto Lopez and his first wife Susie Lopez purchased what would soon become a go-to grocery store for imported Mexican goods and groceries. The grocery store was built across the street from the family’s other business, Green & White Courts. The family lived in an apartment at the back of the store until building a home across the street by their hotel. Norverto worked part-time at the lumberyard by what is now the Aust Convention Center while he got his two businesses up and running. Much of the grocery building is likely made from recycled wood from the lumberyard where Norverto worked. Once the hotel and grocery started to gain traction, the Green & White enterprise became his full-time job.

When Norverto opened his store, the location of business was largely influenced by the city’s transportation routes. The local buses on the East 7^th Street bus route transported many East Austin residents to their jobs in other parts of the city including downtown and West Austin, stopping by Green & White Grocery along the way. The store was also one of the last locales on the highway heading out of Austin, making it a prime location for the business and for anyone needing a pit stop before traveling into or out of the city.

Evolution of the Grocery Store

Norverto came from a large family based in Austin. He was one of nine siblings and had three children: Carlos, Olga, and Gertrude. His wife Susie passed away when their children were young, and Norverto later remarried to Margaret Lopez. Gertrude “Gertie” Lopez would go on to marry Travis County commissioner and prominent Austin politician Richard Moya, and Olga Lopez married John Cazares, Sr. in 1955. Olga and John Sr. met when John Sr. worked at Green & White Grocery while a student at Austin High. They both had attended Palm School and were members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. Upon Norverto’s death in 1971 at the age of 65, Olga and John Sr. inherited the family store and furthered the store’s strong reputation for having the best handmade tamales in Austin for much of the late 1900s. The grocery, which began as a general store, now had a full meat market and produce section as well. Their famous tamales attracted hundreds of customers every year, particularly around Christmastime. Locals had to place orders for the popular Mexican dish months in advance for the wintertime.

John Sr. and Olga had six kids who helped run the grocery store, and they were all active members of the community. John Sr. was a father figure to many in the neighborhood. He helped those who were down-and-out and gave them a job, always assisting those who needed support. He gave credit to customers who could not always afford to pay at that moment and arranged grocery deliveries for elderly customers. He also conducted additional tasks for people at his store, including cashing their social security checks. Due to widespread discrimination minority communities, including Mexican American citizens, struggled to get credit at stores or be entrusted to pay their dues, which is why Cazares Sr.’s generosity was especially significant for many who lived in the neighborhood. Green & White provided a safe and welcoming space, where people knew that John Sr. treated everyone with respect and supported them to the best of his ability.

From Grocery Store to Botanica

The grocery maintained its notoriety for its delicious and hard to come by Mexican goods and food for several decades. In 1993, John Sr. retired and passed the store onto his son, John Cazares Jr. Cazares Jr. transformed the store from a grocery to a botanica in 1996 to keep up with the changing times and needs of the community. In the botanica he began selling votive candles, charms, perfumes, oils, herbs, vitamins, and other spiritual goods to promote a healthy lifestyle. Cazares Jr. decided to keep the store name, both out of convenience but also because of its historic importance. By the 1990s, Green & White was an emblem of the neighborhood. Everyone knew about it, and keeping the name the same just seemed natural. However, “the Botanica” has become the unofficial name for the store, and it is even what the store is labeled as on Travis County Records. The back space, formerly the Lopez’s family home when they started the business, served as a place where other community members conducted blessings and cleansings rituals for several years. Now it is used as a personal space, but there are still those that visit the store not only to buy products or consult Cazares Jr. for medicinal and spiritual queries, but also to pray to the various santos situated throughout the aisles of the storer.

Legacy

Today, the one-story frame building looks much like it did in 1936. Its massive jerkinhead gable is reminiscent of Craftsman style houses popular at the time. Decorative brackets and exposed rafter tails beneath the primary roof structure and the first-story awning speak to this vernacular interpretation of the style as well. Remarkably, the distinct storefront signage appears today exactly as it did in a historic photograph dating to 1958, and may be original. A more recent addition to the store can be seen on the front and side of the building, where local graffiti artist Federico Archuleta painted two of his iconic stencils onto the walls that read “Paz y amor ¡Por favor!” and “Til death do us part”. Located just across the street from the Briones House and a mere five-minute walk from Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Green & White continues to be one of the many East Austin institutions that are emblematic of the Mexican American community that they serve. In fact, the demographic of customers has not drastically changed despite the evolution of the store. Many who shopped at Green & White Grocery before 1996 continue to do so today. The store continues to be supported by loyal, regular customers who come in anywhere from once a week to once every other month. Though most products come from Mexico, many other Latin American cultures utilize similar spiritual goods, so even customers from Central America can find items at Green & White that they cannot find anywhere else in Austin. Nevertheless, with Austin rapidly growing and changing, the owner has certainly noticed an influx of young people who come into his store, and the Mexican American majority demographic has certainly diminished over the years.

Conclusion

Green & White Grocery has had a distinct presence in East Austin for nearly a century. Its owners have been generous and contributing members to their society and the non-local visitors more broadly. As one of the last commercial businesses along East 7^th Street heading towards the highway leaving the city of Austin, its location has attracted customers from all over Austin and beyond for many decades. Though the purpose of the store has transformed from grocery store to botanica, its significance remains as prominent as it was in the late 20^th century. Just as people found comfort in the food and services of the grocery store for so many years, many customers, both old and new, continue to find the same generosity and support at Green & White today.

Sources; Read More

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