The Italian Renaissance in Santa Barbara: Part II - The Jordano Story

NOTICIAS Quarterly Magazine Of The Santa Barbara Historical Society Vol. XLlll No. 4

Winter 1997

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The Italian Renaissance IN Santa Barbara; Part .

The Iordano Story

“n the Winter ig(^^ issue oj'Noticid.s, Enn Qrafjy related the story ojsome ofthe[oioneer Italianfamilies ojSanta Barbara. At that time,zve ponifcc/ out that the subject could not be covered adequately in a single issue and that ive hoped to ''tmng to light the histones of ^ ^ otherfamilies in ajuture issue ojthe quarterly.” That hope,couplcdzvith the enthusiastic response loith ivhich both that quarterly and the related gallery exhibit, Una Dolcc Vita: Santa Barbara's Italian Community,received has resulted in this issue o/Noticias;the sto ry ofthejordanofajnily.

Erin Cjrafy approaches thestoyojthejordanosonanimiberoflevels. It is the story of one ojthe most successjidj'amily-nm Imsinesses in Santa Barbara;it is the stotj ofimmi grants coming herewith very little and, through hard ivoifand business savvy,living the "Anwican dream;”it is an anecdotal lookofhoiv people lived their day-to-day lives;and,fi nally, it is a loohat the Italian commimity as a ivholefor,as the author points out, "so many of its members zuorfed zvith orjor the Jordanos over the years.”

The author wishes to gratejuUy acknozvledge thefollowingjor their assistance: Joanne Cavaletto, Dave Dicl{, Neal P. Cpxijjy, Tom Elowell, Nonna Caudera liozvell, NlaryNlerlo Isaiah,Lena Qoggiajordano, Peter Jordano,Lloyd Monl;,Josephine DezzattiAdonk Josic Pagliotti, Cathenne Pagliotti, Dr. Paul IJipareiti, halo Ifossi, and Dolly Jordano Szveen.

All photographs are courtesy ojtheJo7-danoj'amily.

The author: Erin Qmjjy holds a B.A.in Music and a Nl.A.inMarfeting Communica tionsfrom Peppa-duie University. She is a anstee ofthe Sa^ita Barbara Mission ArchiveLibrary and is editor ofthat institutkm'sjowiial. La Gazeta. Her a}-ticles on local histoiy /laue appeared mt/ie Santa Barbara News-Press, die Santa Barbara Independent, and La Cainpana, the publication ofthe Saiita Barbara Tnistjar Ilistoiic ITescivation.

Information for contributors: Noticias is a quarterly journal devoted to the study of the history of Santa Barbara County. Contributions of articles are welcome.

Those authors whose articles are accepted lor publication will receive ten gratis copies of the issue in which their article appears. Further copies arc available to the contribu tor at cost. The authority in matters of style is the Diiversity ofChicago Manual of Style, i^th edition. The Publications Committee reserves the right to return submitted manuscripts for required changes. Statements and opinions expressed in articles arc the sole responsibility of the author.

Michael Redmon, Editor Judy Sutcliffe, Designer

® 1996 The Santa Barbara Historical Society 136 E. Dc la Guerra Street. Santa Barbara, California 93101 ● Telephone: 805/966-1601 Single copies S5.00 ISSN 0581-5916

Fhe ORDANO S TORY ?art I; 1888-191^.

Getting Settled in Santa Barbara

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Aor one hundred years, the

I Jordano family name in Santa * Barbara has been synonymous with industry, innovation, and enterprise. The Jordano story is not sim ply a recounting of business success, but also reflects how the local community reacted to societal change from horse and buggy days, past the turn of the century, through the Roaring Twenties, and into the Great Depression. The Jor dano story is also significant to the his tory of the local Italian community, be cause so many of its members worked with or for the Jordanos over the years.

Jordano's was part of Santa Barbara life also because virtually everybody went to buy groceries there. The Jordano name became so synonymous with the grocery trade, that many "old timers" still refer to Jordanos as a generic term for gro cery. During the course of the twentieth century this family business became a leader in the regional retail and wholesale food and beverage industries.

The story of the Jordano family actu ally begins with another family, the Pomattos, who came from the same small town in northwestern Italy. Rivarolo Canavese was a small town north of To

as possible and then bring over his wid owed mother Marguerite, and his four older siblings, brothers John and James and sisters Margaret and Annetta.

Peter was a small muscular young man. outgoing, friendly, with an unfail ing spirit of helpfulness toward others.

His generosity set the pattern for the others he brought over and sponsored, who learned from him how to give un selfishly to enable others to do the same.

Peter went to work on a ranch in Glen Annie Canyon in the Goleta Valley and. true to his ambitions, he saved enough money within a year or two to start sending for his family.

His first priority was to bring over Annetta, who was expecting her first child. She was married to one of the out standing young men of their hometown, James Jordano, (Giacomo Giordano, as he was known in Italy) and it seemed a good idea to both families to get the young couple settled as quickly as possi ble in the new country. There was only one problem. It seems James and his brothers had made a pact, that not one of them would ever leave their home town without the other two,

rino, in the Piedmont region of Italy. In about 1885, Peter Pomatto traveled to

Peter pondered the problem, and then came up with the answer. He wrote back to his sister Annetta in Italy:

the United States to gain an economic foothold for the rest of his family. He had the intent of earning as much money

It s all right. Let James and his brothers use the money. They can pay back,when they re 73

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able, ni send more later and you can come after the baby is bom. That will give James a chance to get set up in worhhere in Santa Barbara.l So the three Jordano brothers, James, Matteo, and Giovan ni, left their small

new to town, stayed at the Bosso Hotel on West Canon Perdido Street near Chapala Street. The Bosso Hotel and Italian Bakery was owned by another Piedmontese couple. Stephano and Carlotta Bosso, who were relatives of the Pomattos. The Bos. SOS were very sup portive of new arri vals from the old

hometown together in search of a better life in the New

country, and would help them out when ever they could, but they also ascertained that these young men would pull their own weight. The ho tel manager, Tom Bosso, Stephanos son, gave James a friendly "Dutch un cle’’ lecture. He told

World. Approaching North America, Gio vanni heard about opportunities in Ar gentina, He decided to travel down to South America and was never heard from again. Matteo took a job mining bi tuminous coal at Coal City. Illinois and later returned to

James

was

al

lowed to stay for two weeks, and only two weeks, in which

Italy.2 James contin ued on alone to Cali fornia.

When James Jor dano arrived in 1888, Santa Barbara was

he

time Jordano was to ViepateTfamiliasoftheJordanofamilyinthe U.S.,James Jordano, arrived in Santa Barba>'ain 1888. He would becomeforeman ofthe JohnMoreranchintheQoktaValiey.

emerging from its rancho days and becoming a thriving town. The town had nearly doubled in population during the decade preceding Jordano's arrival, A big push had come from the Southern Pacific Railroad

which arrived in 1887. In 1888, the city council of Santa Barbara had passed an ordinance to upgrade, beautify and mod ernize the downtown sidewalks. Those old narrow wooden trip traps would be replaced by twelve-foot wide paved

walks.

Jordano. like other Italian immigrants

find work, pay his bill, or be thrown out. 2 Jordano looked about town, which had less than six thousand inhabitants

at that time, for employment opportuni ties. The Southern Pacific was hiring young men to lay railroad ties at twenty dollars per month, so James signed up and went to work.

After a year, James had saved enough to afford to send for his wife and new baby son. When James discussed his plans with his brother-in-law, Peter ad vised him to keep his money to use when his family arrived. Peter said he.

Peter, had earned enough to send not

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THE JORDANO STORY only for James’ sister and lit tle nephew, but also his brother John. Since Peter f needed John to help on the ranch, it seemed prudent to have John leave at the same time and accompany their sister, Annetta, on the long trip.

In October 1890, Annetta and her two-year-old son (named Peter in honor of his benevolent and generous un cle) came to settle in Santa .

Barbara. About the same time, one of the four Jordano

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sisters, Angelina, crossed the Atlantic with her husband, B Antonio Pagliotti, also from ' Rivarolo Canavese. Angelina ■ was the only other Jordano sibling of that generation to settle in Santa Barbara. The following year, the last of the Pomatto family, brother James, his sister Margaret, and their mother Margucrita The Jordanofamily, ca. igo^,five years after the tragic death made the trip out together. ofAnnetta Jordano. Left to right:Josephine, Dominic, James, Peter, Frank, John, and Maguerita Po7uatto, James'motherMargaret eventually married in-Law, who helped raise the Jordano children.

Tom Bosso, helping him run the family business. the south, eastwards to Hope Ranch, Annetta joined her husband, who had and to Maria Ygnacio Creek on the landed an important position as the west. manager of the dairy on John More's The Jordanos lived in a small cottage ranch. James Jordano was the first in atop the bluff at More Mesa. Here grain what would become a long list of Italian was grown, while further down the slope immigrants who dominated the dairy in grew beans. Both of these particular dustry in Santa Barbara. Eventually Jor dano would become foreman of the crops were too marginal in quality to sell, but were used as forage for the dairy ranch on which was raised grain, corn, cattle.4 and walnuts. More’s Ranch originally comprised some four hundred acres be tween Hollister Avenue and Atascadero Creek. Eventually the More Ranch would extend to the Pacific Ocean to

In 1891, Annetta gave birth to the Jordano’s only daughter, Josephine.

Three years later twin boys. Dominic and John, were born. At the age of seven

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Altfourjordano brothers received their early training in the grocery trade at T. Cornwall and Son, gzg State Street. Starting from left is PeterJordano, Francis and Thomas Cornwall. At far right is Peter’s fiend Elmer Shirrell and to his left is Bob Cornwall.

or eight, the oldest, Peter, began second grade in a Goleta school. The teacher

ower at forty-five with five children, one a baby. He never remarried, but he

asked him how to spell his name. Since he only knew how to speak Italian, all he could do was repeat his name. The teacher spelled out his name for him and

did have some help with his brood,

made local history by transcribing the original Giordano family name to Jordano.

By 1898 the family had moved to a house in the San Roque foothills, which still stands at 1020 San Roque Road , where Frank was born on December 28.

A year later, Annetta Pagliotto Jordano picked up a respiratory infection that led to a severe case of mastoiditis, an infec tion of the bone which connects to the middle car. Because this was a full thirty years before antibiotics were developed and prescribed, Annetta died from the infection. James Jordano was left a wid-

through his mother-in-law, Marguerita Pomatto. After Marguerita's death, her daughter- in-law. Libera (the wife of her son Jim Pomatto) helped out the Jordano

family.

When Josephine got a little older, she helped her father in caring for her little brothers, and also with the house work. The young boys helped their fa ther out on the ranch , hoeing beans, cleaning the dairy, or running other simple chores. Ac the tender age of ten, Peter started working at T. Cornwall and Son, a local grocery. Although young Peter’s employment consisted of performing small casks, doing chores and simple errands for the grocer, it was his first foray into the world of

THE JORDANO STORY merchandising and the retail grocery.

Perhaps it was because of the death of his mother or the addition of a fifth sib ling to the family, that young Peter went to work to help bring in a little more income for the family after the birth of younger brother Frank.

At the age of fourteen, Peter contin ued his education in running a retail op eration through a part-time job working for his Aunt Margaret Pomatto Bosso, who had a small grocery score and bakery/rescauranc downstairs in the Bosso Hotel.5 Around the turn of the century there were several important grocery scores in downtown Santa Barbara, such as the Larco fish market (Italian immigrants from Genoa), Parma Grocers (owned by another Italian immigrant from Tolceto), John Diehl’s elegant store, and T. Cornwall and Son, owned by a Scottish immigrant with three sons. Bob, Fran cis, and Tom,Jr. In 1906 Peter turned eighteen and was given the job of "after school book work" at Cornwall’s, an assignment from the Santa Barbara Business Col lege. The school highly recommended Peter for part-time bookkeeping to Mr. Cornwall, stating that Peter was very good with numbers. Peter worked every day at Cornwall's, and because it cook so long to travel the eight miles to and from home, Peter would frequently sleep upstairs over the score, or stay at the Cornwall home at 322 West Anapamu Street.6 Peter was recognized by his peers as industrious, energetic, and inventive.

Short and slight, he was more delicate chan powerfully built, but he did possess an incredible drive. It was dear to those around him that Peter Jordano was de termined to cake advantage of all his op-

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porcunicies and experiences to succeed in business someday/ For Peter, there was much to be done and much to learn at Cornwall’s. He could sec chat the days were long and hard — this was not a place for one who wanted to cake it easy. When the farm ers came to town in droves on Satur days to load up supplies for the rest of the week, the score was open from 6 a.m.until 10 p.m. Cornwall’s produced their own bakery goods, which meant firing up the ovens at dawn. Most of the dry goods such as flour, beans, and sugar came in large barrels and had to be weighed out and rcsacked. Coffee had to be hand ground, a tiresome cask, and to suit the customer's satisfaction, the cof fee was individually blended and reground.

Delivery and distribution were ocher facets of the business of which Peter cook note. The delivery boy at Cornwall’s was Peter’s pal, Elmer Shirrill, whose father Tom was a blacksmith at the More Ranch. It was Shirrill’s job to meet the early morning train in order to get the baked goods delivered over to Moncecico, Carpinceria, and Ventura. This meant El mer had CO get to the barn at Figueroa and Castillo streets four blocks away and hitch up the horse and wagon, back to the score CO load up, and over to the train sta tion at Victoria and Rancheria streets, all before 7 am.

In 1908, at the age of fourteen, John joined the crew at Cornwall's as a deliv ery boy. His job was to deliver grocer ies, coal, and wood in an area of widelyspaced homes known as the Riviera. In this "fashionable section" of town, the roads were not paved, there were no sewer or gas lines, no street lights, so it was not easy on either the horse or driv er CO make deliveries. John worked with

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just one horse, Rose, and a buggy to make his rounds, k was not unusual for John CO work from four in the morning until nine at night while earning ten dol lars a week,^ After several years, the Jordano brothers began to entertain the idea of going into business for themselves some day. As this idea cook hold, they started CO map out the steps involved. This would not be a hasty or superficial enter prise, but one that would cake considera ble planning. They made a practical as sessment of their own strengths and weaknesses. The brothers carefully con sidered what needs the consumer might be looking for chat were not being met by the current established grocers. From

calves to ship back to his Goleta ranch.

The butcher's daughter. Delfina Ferrero, who was sixteen, was running the shop that day.

Peter noticed that she was a bright attractive young lady, just the sort for his namesake nephew. The Pomatto family had been well-known in Italy, so naturally the conversation turned to their new life in California. Peter asked Delfina if she had ever thought about coming to America. She expressed great enthusiasm for the idea, in fact she proclaimed she would die happy in just the effort to get there. Peter imme diately invited her to come visit Santa Barbara and to meet his eligible neph ew,

this the Jordano boys devised a longrange plan of action.

Around 1913, John went to work in Los Angeles to learn all chat he could

Delfina did not cake his proposal seri ously, but Peter Pomatto cold Peter Jor dano all about the young lady upon his return to Santa Barbara. Pomatto sent

about the latest innovations and up-todate business practices in their chosen in

Delfina a picture of Peter and included a letter from Peter. Although Delfina’s mother strongly objected to the whole idea. Pomatto ended up winning her over and arranged the marriage. Upon arrival here, Delfina was so delighted with her new hometown that she sent for her sis

dustry. John started at the firm of Shep herd and Smith in Redondo Beach. After one week, he determined that the job was not appropriate, and left without even drawing pay. His sudden departure caused quite a sensation. It was suspect ed in that seaside town chat he had drowned.9

ter, Madeline, to marry Dominic Jorda no.lO

He then went to work for an Albert Cohn at Young Brothers in Los Angeles for a year. Then John returned to Santa Barbara to become a timekeeper for Cornwall Construction Company, which was building roads in Santa Ma ria at chat time.

The Jordano family was growing again, through matrimonial ties, with Uncle Peter Pomatto serving as match maker. In 1911, Peter was visiting rela tives and friends in Italy, when he stopped in a butcher’s shop to buy some

Part II; 1915-1921 Opening the Store As the Jordano boys determined to go into business for themselves, they were sufficiently practical and prudent enough to realize what they were lack ing and what odds they were up against.

On the one hand, they all had a fairly solid background in the business. They had spent a good number of years at T.

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THE JORDANO STORY

Santa Barbara Grocery Company at 824 State Street. T. Cornwall and Son, where the brothers got their start, was located at 929 State. A butcher shop, Meat

the Charters Market, was

nearby at 917 State Street. A little further north was Arlington Grocers, operated by the Tisdel Brothers, at 1129 State Street.ii

Izolena Carktti and John Jordano,shortly after theirinaniage.

John built upon his experiences at T. Cornwall and Son by living for a time in Los Angeles and workingforgrocers there.

Cornwall and Son Grocery, and they had been trained in every aspect of the business from accounting to stocking, from clerking to delivery. On the other hand, there was no lack of competition.

It has often been noted that If there was one thing State Street did not need at that time, it was another grocery store, especially in a town of 14,000.

The building that the Jordanos rented for their small store was at 706 State

Right across the street from the Jordanos was another signif icant competitor. L. A. Parma was a store which was known for its produce and which catered to Montecito residents.

It was named for Lawrence

Parma, whose father was an Italian im migrant and had opened a market on State Street forty years earlier, which later evolved into the Grand Central Market.

To hedge their bets, the Jordanos de cided that the twins, Dominic and John, would open the store, while Peter would remain at Cornwall’s, In the meantime, Frank, who was only sixteen years old, would continue at business school, and

Street. Just one block south of the Jorda nos was Santa Barbara Fruit and Pro duce at 626 State Street and the Larco Fish Market at 628 State Street. One block to the north was the Morton Gro

keep his part-time job at Cornwall’s on weekends. This would provide him with training in the business as well as pro viding a financial back-up and a job should their store fail.12

cery Company at 805 State Street.

Three doors away at 827 State was the famous John F. Diehl's Grocers, re nowned for its specialty foods, and the

The boys had saved money for their enterprise and tried to anticipate every expense. They were going to need a horse and buggy for delivery, and mon-

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moved very fasc at Cornwall's, or items that were frequently requested. In this manner, they knew they would not be wasting inventory space on slow mov ing items. They wanted to make every item count.

The Jordano brothers opened on Monday, March 1, 1915. In their first advertisement, which appeared the night before the opening in the Santa Barbara Daily News of February 28, 1915, they proclaimed that the policy of the new store was to serve their patrons with "reliable standard merchandise at uniformly low prices, fair dealing and cour teous treatment.” Free delivery was also offered. Service, then, would become both the trademark and the hallmark of the Jordanos' venture.

On opening day, the brothers hand Frank,the youngest ofJames Jordano’s children, joined his brothers at their yo6 State Street store aftergraduationfrenn high school in 1917.

ey for the first month’s rent. Much of the inventory could be filled on credit from local jobbers and farmers anxious to do business with the new shopkeep ers. There was also some essential equipment the Jordanos could not do without, such as weights and measures.

Despite their savings, the young men realized they were going to need more start-up capital, and the banks were not keen on making a loan to such young men in a such a shaky enterprise. Once again, uncle Peter Pomatto came to the rescue. Peter, along with John and Jim Pomatto, brothers of Annetta Jordano, lent the Jordano twins a "stake” of $500.13 The young men were very strategic in choosing their initial stock. They selected just the merchandise which either

ed out cigars to "men of reputation" about town who chanced by to wish the boys good Iuck.i5 Initially, the brothers had no clerks and ran the oper ation themselves. They filled the Store with proven items they knew would move quickly, and priced them not at the very lowest prices, but at very rea sonable prices that demonstrated a good value. A hundred-pound sack of Wash ington potatoes would sell for $1.75, and a nickel could buy either two heads of lettuce or a bunch of celery, Flour was $1.45 for sixty pounds. One dollar could buy a twenty-pound sack of sug ar. Fresh eggs from the Goleta farms went for twenty-five cents a dozen, and bread loaves came in two sizes, costing a nickel or a dime.16 Most orders came in by telephone. as was the custom at that time. People rarely went into the store to shop.

When they did, they would not carry out their groceries, but would have the store deliver them to their homes later in

THE JORDANO STORY the day. Usually phone orders were placed for a week’s supply of groceries and filled by the store staff, and then sent out through a horse and buggy de livery team.

The first week’s sales brought in $196.05 in cash, $13 in credit, and an other $23.75 for the driver, for a total of $232.80. The following week, sales were slightly down at $213.25, although de liveries and credit accounts were up. By the third week, sales had jumped twen ty-five percent to $266.45.17 All of the cash expenditures were me ticulously recorded in the registry. Dur ing the first year of operation expenses included $10,00 for ads in the M.oming Press, fifty cents for ads in a local maga zine, $1.00 for the water bill, and thirtyfive cents for netting to keep the flies off

81 the fruit. The partners also carefully recorded personal expenses, which were pulled from the business such as $4.50 for a pair of shoes for Peter, $1,50 for a pair of pants for John, and $4.50 to have a suit dyed.18 One interesting item was six dollars for a coupon ice book. Merchants would pay ahead of time for an ice coupon book. In the years before refrigeration, an iceman would bring in a block of ice, held by tongs, to put into an insulated chest. The shopkeepers would put a col ored card in their windows to indicate the size of ice block to be delivered— twenty-five, fifty, seventy-five, or one hundred pounds.19 After a month in business, the store was grossing over one thousand dollars a month. Although they were not out of

Thc brothers’first att&npt at expansion, the "cash and carry"store at loig State Street ivas not accepted hy the public and the store closed in 1923 afterfive years offinancial struggle. Frankjordano stands at right.

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chc woods yet, the brothers could see that the enterprise might pay off. and would become a success after all. In 1916, the older brother. Peter, joined the store full-time, and the following year, upon graduation, youngest brother Frank officially became part of the busi ness on June 1, 1917.20

Earliest Employees The Jordano's first "employee” was, of course a family member. Brother-in-law Dominic Dezzutti emigrated from Rivarolo Canavese in 1904. Dezzutti married the Jordano brothers' only sister, Jose phine, in 1908 and they had two daugh ters, Margaret and Josephine. Dezzutti

helped out as a clerk and delivery man, taking his horse and buggy throughout the Santa Barbara area. When delivery became motorized, Dezzutti would drive the first Jordanos' delivery truck, a Model T Ford.

Dominic's nephew, Joe Bertino, was the first delivery boy. Fourteen-year-old Joe would walk to work in the morning with his Uncle Dom bclore school. Bcrtino's early chores would consist of sweeping, washing the windows, and cleaning up the bread cases. Then he would race off to Lincoln School two blocks away. At noon, he’d return to do any little chore in return for lunch and dash back to school by one. After school, he would continue to work at

The brothers'third store was located at 729 State Street. This igig view shoivs DominicJordayw standing secondfivm right. Thirdfivm left is Kathryn Miller, who would later marry Frank Jordano.

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THE JORDANO STORY what he also considered to be his "fami ly” store while his classmates were off playing sports. Bertino would stay until seven at night before leaving with his uncle.2i The weekends were full of hard work but good times down at the Jordanos' store. When not sacking potatoes or sugar, Joe Bertino was off working deliv eries. He rode in the buggy for in-town deliveries. For the big deliveries to the great ranches out in Goleta or when heading south to Montecito or even Carpinteria, he would drive the wagon. The lad earned one dollar a week for his chores and deliveries.

James Ross, who would later become Santa Barbara’s chief of police and then county sheriff, got his first job while in high school as a part-time Jordano em ployee. The envy of his friends, Ross would get paid the munifi cent sum of five dollars a week, in silver. He worked after school from four until

one occasion, the crew was setting out bananas. When the cover of the bin was removed, several tarantulas hopped out, and set the whole store hopping in a scramble. One of Ross’ other duties was to transfer the heating and lighting oil from large cans to glass jars to be sold.

All of the young men employed at the town’s newest store enjoyed the live ly company of the Jordano brothers.

The work was hard, but there was a spirit of fun and camaraderie as well.

Some of the boys had to turn their earn ings over to their parents who needed the additional income to support their families. Other young men saved their earnings, or spent a night on the town at the Mission Theater, watching favor ites such as Charlie Chaplin, the Key stone Cops, and Mack Sennett’s Bath ing Girls.

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six-thirty and then all day Saturday.22 Ross had a variety of clerking duties. He would set out the homemade brown bread which was baked and brought in daily by a woman in the area, The young employee would help set the fruits and vegc- ||R\ tables out for display. On 9S1

TJte Jordanos made the movefrom horse-dravm ivagon to automobile for deliveries in 1919 when they purchased this Adodel T Ford for $100 plus $^o for body 7nodifications. Frank. Jordano ^ proudly stands infront ofthe new ' ' ^ purchase.

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Experimencing with Expansion

reccion. Their initial score, with a cwcn-

The brothers noticed chat Santa Bar bara’s business district was creeping northward, and early on they began for mulating ideas for expansion in chat di-

ty-four-fooc frontage, was rapidly be coming too small for the business they were generating, so they knew they would eventually have to chink about moving.

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THE JORDANO STORY

The Canon Perdido store is decoratedfor Independence Day,igi^.

Franhjordano stands at farrigkt. Seatedfourth

from left is Dominic Dezzatti, thejordanos’ first anployee in their first store.

The young men also sensed chat cash and carry would be the way of the fu-

or those struggling financially; these were most often the accounts of

ture, since they noted that many of their credit accounts were late in payment, or never paid at all. Curiously, these were

wealthy residents from Montedto or the Riviera. Some debtors owed hundreds of dollars and yet would traipse

not the charge accounts of poor people,

off for a European vacation. The Jorda-

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nos wanted to open a cash only store to attract and educate people about the val ue in doing all cash business to save money.23 Ultimately, the brothers decid ed to open two new stores and to close the first one.

The Jordanos opened their second store at 1029 State Street on the day the armistice ending World War I was signed, November 11, 1918. Here the Jordanos tried to sell the idea of "cash and carry." Patrons walked right in, made their purchase with cash, and left with merchandise in hand. In this man ner, customers would not have to wait for a bill at the end of the month, and would not have the added interest ex pense or delivery fees. Since this was de signed for walk-in business only, it did not have the staff or facilities for filling phone orders.24

The Jordanos saw this store as some thing of an experiment, believing that society was changing, and chat people’s buying habits would adjust. The war was over, automobiles were coming in, streetcars provided ready transporta tion, and the upper end of State Street had more pedestrian traffic. The Jorda nos theorized that their new method of "cash and carry" would pose no burden for the consumer public.

Their ad in the December 29, 1918 M^oming Press read: Paying cash, you pay yourself a greater rate of interest than you can get at the bank, Save the cost of doing business by the old credit method. Pay cash and have your grocery orders of$z or more delivered free.^

In 1923, the Jordanos made their move ofState Street and into this new market at 35 West Canon Perdido Street. In theirproiTiotions, the brothers pointed out that there was ample parking at the storeforcustomer convenience.

./

THE JORDANO STORY An ad in December 1919 took on a more urgent and even melodramatic tone:

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Occ’s Hardware and Sporting Goods.

Unfortunately the store at 1029 State Street was given the cold shoulder

Throw off the yok^e of credit habit intoler ance, be democratic in the management of your household, assert your independence of credit slavery, start the new year right by eliminating the cost of bookkeeping, collec tions, postage, dead accounts, interest on credit investments, etc.26

by consumers; the public was simply not ready to give up its long ingrained buying habits. Local customers shopped at 729 State on credit or phoned in their order for delivery. As the town contin ued to grow rapidly, the volume of de liveries increased as well, so the back room of the lower State Street store was

The third store, which was designat ed to replace the original shop, was lo cated at 729 State Street. The Jordanos took over the site of the former Ruiz

developed to concentrate on phone or ders for both stores. For the time being, the four young men decided on a "if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” business philos ophy. Time would eventually prove, however, that the four brothers were

Drug Store, which had a tile floor. This was to become quite a novelty and gave the store a classy and contemporary air.27 This store later became part of

simply years ahead of their time.

Some of the goods featured at Jorda-

The shipping room creiv,cu.1933. Do^ninic Dezzatti is atfront left and Frankjordano is atfar right.

James Do^ninic(Jimmy Deejjordano,son of DominicJordano,stands at rear ivith white shirt and dark, belt. During the height ofthe Depession, the wages theseyoungmen earned was often vital to theirfami lies'finances.

NOTICIAS no Bros.at 729 State Street around the year 1919 included cooking apples at fif teen cents each. "Our Blend” coffee for twenty-five cents a pound, three cans of deviled meat for fifteen cents, and Oven Queen wrapped bread at three loaves for twenty-five cents.28 Everything was priced in five-cent increments. Adults felt that pennies were for children and used to buy a stick of candy or gum. or jawbreakers. The business practice of the "power of the penny" came later when business owners added a penny here and there to the pricing to build profits.29 Delivery In the early years, horse-drawn delivery was an important part of the successful

Jordanos’ grocery operation in Santa Barbara. Two horses were stabled along with a buggy and flat bed wagon, for four dollars a month rent at the Reason barn at 700 Anacapa Street.20 A funny incident was remembered by the Jordanos crew at that time. It seems that an overworked employee called up the feed office to order four bales of hay to be sent to the Reason barn, where the Jordanos' horses were stabled. "All right, we’ll send it right over,” said the feed store clerk, "and now, who is this for?" "Who’s it for?" the Jordano’s worker bellowed, "Why it’s for the horses!" As he hung up the receiver, he turned to his chuckling coworkers and remarked perplexedly.

"Why the danged fool. Vv^o do you suppose he thought it was for?’’2i

✓

JOkDANO^

89

THE JORDANO STORY The Jordanos made die switch from horse and buggy to automobiles in 1919.

They paid two hundred dollars for a Model T Ford, and an additional fifty dollars to "customize” it by trimming off some of the side metal for easier load ing and unloading of delivery goods.

Customers would phone number 996 for the 1029 State Street store or 905 for the 729 State Street store. After the orders were filled inside the store, the goods were placed in the truck, which was then handcranked to start. The gravity feed Fords, however, often left drivers ma rooned on muddy grades, especially after heavy rains. One driver. Clarence K. George, remembered being so exasperat ed with the machine that. "At times I just sat on the running board and bawled." The Jordanos switched to Dodge trucks in 1922.32 Entering into the 1920’s, the Jordanos could see that the cash and carry store was a failed experiment. Frank Jordano summed it up this way, "We were pa tient, believing the public would awaken to saving money by eliminating the de livery bit . . . but habit was long in grained and on the whole, and the re sponse we hoped for never came. Santa Barbara just wasn’t ready for any other way. We failed in this, but in doing so we learned.” 33 At that time virtually every major re tail enterprise was located on State Street. The Jordanos were looking to ex pand and latched onto a radical idea—to

The Jordanos’cash and carry policy borefruit with the opening oftheir new store on San Andres Street on Santa Barbara's Westsidein 1932. Customers responded to the personal service and attention they received at the store.

leave State Street. By doing so they could avoid the high rents of the city’s major thoroughfare and sidestep headto-head competition with neighboring groceries on State. There was also an impending threat on the horizon, the coming of chain stores. The first, Piggly Wiggly, had a store at 920 State Street, would have three more in Santa Barbara by the end of the decade, and other chains would follow.

"We were convinced,” Frank Jorda no was to conclude, "that to surmount virile competition and the high overhead of State Street, our next move was to get off State Street, to go to a side street and build what would be the city’s larg est shopper facility, including an order filling department adequate for the han dling of telephone orders to all sections of the growing city and its outskirts.”34

Part II ^ Going Off State Street One May 29, 1923, the Jordano brothers did the unthinkable — they moved their successful grocery business off of State Street. They closed State Street stores and moved their entire op eration to 35 West Canon Perdido Street. In making what many retailers thought a foolhardy move, the Jordanos took a bold step and became the first major business to leave State Street.

The new location held bittersweet memories for the Jordanos. It was next door to the Bosso Hotel, where their fa ther. James, had stayed upon his arrival in Santa Barbara some thirty-five years earlier.

90

NOTICIAS

The Jordanos used the shell of their building to create a large, modern mar ket. unlike anything Santa Barbara had seen before. Recognizing that the public was still not ready for cash and carry, the Jordanos decided to pursue phone or ders full on. Half of the floor space in the new store was made into a large shipping room to handle only telephone orders. The ground floor measured forty by one hundred ten feet and beneath it was a working basement of the same size, which served as a warehouse and shipping room. Folding gates of iron were tugged aside each morning to allow beautiful baskets, boxes, and barrels, and bushels of fruits and vegetables to be pulled out to the sidewalk. Getting out from under the high State Street rents allowed the Jordanos to target phone shoppers and to push price, competing head-on with major chain stores.

TTie Daily T^ews in 1923 reported that; Having such a warehouse handy, the proprietors are enabled to buy in immense lots, and thereby secure a marked reduction on all classes of goods, and this reduction is passed along to the customer. The growth of the Jordanos’ business is regarded by their patrons as a real evidence ofthefair dealing policies which they inaugurated with the opening oftheirfirst store ^ere.35

ing, wreaths of flowers framed the new ly installed meat counters. This market on Canon Perdido became known as Store No.i“the first in what would grow to be a seventeen-store chain.

The brothers also capitalized on the fact that busy State Street never al lowed for adequate, convenient parking for walk-in customers. The Jordanos promoted the ample parking at their new store, stressing that patrons would not have to walk blocks with their par cels.

Within a month after opening, the Jordanos saw a ten percent increase in business, indicating their gamble had paid off. Four years later, they had forty employees and it appears this success in spired other business to pull off State Street as well. Within a short time, the Chapala Street Association was formed.

John Jordano became chairman and pushed the city fathers to widen Chapa la Street, The plan was opposed by a good many, but the proponents pre vailed. By 1927, Chapala Street was paved and had become a significant city route.37 As the Jordanos became leading busi nessmen in their community, their fam ilies were growing. The oldest of the brothers, Peter, married Dclfina Ferrero,

The new store was not only exten sively remodeled, but reinforced with

from his hometown in Italy. Their son.

James Peter (Jimmy Pete), was named for his grandfather and their daughter, Annetta, was named for her grand mother.

steel and concrete and fireproofed throughout.36 The Jordanos had the idea

Delfina’s sister, Madeline, married Dominic, one of the twin brothers and

that they would be able to expand their building to two, three, even four stories, if necessary, as their operation grew.

The facelift in front included fashionable

they had a son and a daughter, James Dominic and Madeline, Izolena Carletti became the bride of the other twin,

new awnings over the arched doorways and windows. During the grand open-

John; their son was named John, Jr. The youngest, Frank, married Kath ryn Miller and raised a family of three;

THEJORDANO STORY Frank, Jr.; Josephine, named after Frank’s sister; and Peter. As the young est of this third generation of Jordanos, Peter was named for his uncle, the oldest of the first generation.

The 1930s:Workingac Jordanos The comparatively carefree atmos phere of the Roaring Twenties came to an end with the stock market crash in October 1929 and the onset of the Great Depression of the 1930s. The cash and carry policy that the Jordanos had tried

91 CO introduce some fifteen years earlier was now eagerly accepted by shoppers who had to watch every penny. Eventu ally, self-serve shoppers would supplant the telephone customers.

Jordano Bros, was not only family owned, but family oriented as well. Es pecially in the Italian community, it seemed as if every family had someone who worked for the Jordanos; in some ways getting your first part-time job at Jordanos was almost a rite of passage for kalian teenagers. Names on Jordano’s employment rolls included An-

By 1932,the days ofdelivery by A4odelT Ford were long gone. Although cash and carry proved popular, theje^anos continued to maintain their delivery servicefrom their Canon Perdido store.

NOTICIAS

;v '■■Tit

.... — ■s^'

.

-!k;' ●

.

This heavily'ladaijordano tmckhasjust arrivedfromLos Angeles, ca. 1927. In 1888, when James Jordanofirst setfoot in Santa Barbara, he stayed at the building on the left which at that time was the Bosso Hotel.

drade, Bcrgalio, Bcrcino, BorgaccIIo, Bregance, Borgialli, Caudera, Cancello, Per-

fore the game, leave to play in the game, and return afterwards to finish

rcro. Falaschi, Forcunato, Langlo, Lucas, Maucino, Massao, Masasso, Merlo, Pali-

his chores. Lloyd Monk, on the high school crack team, would compete in meet events on his Saturday lunch hour.

When not in school, the young men worked full days, from seven in the morning until seven at night with half an hour for lunch. Typical wages varied from $1,25 to $2.00 a day, always in cash, either directly out of the bosses' pocket or in an envelope passed out at the end of the week.

Much mischief occurred when young

occi, Ressolina, Riparecci, Rossi, Rocca, Savio, Serena, Scaramuzza, Signor, Vaneed, and Vial.

The brothers were demanding task masters, but fair. A job, especially dur ing the Depression was considered a real privilege and not an opportunity to be taken lightly. One oft-repeated line the Jordanos used to tell young workers was, "What do you think we are run ning around here, a kindergarten?"

When Paul Riparetti was on the high school football team, he would work be¬

workers were on the job. Seltzer water bottle fights were not uncommon and hungry young men would find inventive

93

THE JORDANO STORY ways to get snacks. When unloading fruit from the trucks, a young clerk would "accidentally” drop a watermel on. Damaged goods could not be sold, but the boys made sure the melon did not go to waste. On another occasion, a woman entered the store after Thanks giving with a half-eaten turkey, claim ing it was no good. The Jordanos, who prided themselves on customer service, promptly refunded her money and the tecnaged boys wolfed down turkey sandwiches all day.

This generation of Jordano boys were cousins. As teenagers they helped out or just hung around the scores. James Do minic(Jimmy Dee), Dominic's son was a popular figure. Short and stout, he had a great sense of humor. It was his job to cake advertising copy to the Santa Barbara News-Press and he would often scop CO play football with friends on his way back to the score.

Jimmy Peter, younger than James was known for his chronic tardiness and his excuses. The other boys would often cover for him by clocking in his time card and when supervisor Charlie Meyer would look for him, the others would al ways tell Meyer chat he just missed him.

A big part of the teenagers'job was to keep the score clean. Once a year the large chandelier received a cleaning and once a month the wooden floor was oiled and fresh sawdust laid down. The chopping blocks in the meat department were scraped and the floor swept daily.

On Saturday the food cases were scrubbed down with ammonia. Jimmy Pete scrubbed the pans, considered the worst of jobs, and received an extra dol lar from the other boys.

On Saturday nights, they would join others at the Italian Federation-

sponsored dances at the Knights of Co lumbus Hall on De la Vina Street. Often times prior arrangements were made so the boys could sneak in through the back door.

Inside the Score Bulk goods like rice, beans, flour, and sugar were kept in metal bins under the counter, weighed, and poured into paper sacks. Clerks weighed and poured the goods into the sacks; the customer did not help himself.

Large rounds of Tillamook cheese were wrapped in wax or butcher paper, from which sections could be cut and weighed per the customer's request. Pre packaged goods included corn flakes, Quaker Oats, Cream of Wheat, and certain brands of coffee. Cookies came in bulk and honeycombs could be pur chased in wax boxes.

Upstairs was a staff which cook tele phone orders and then filled them in the back of the score. Four women worked the telephones and there were eight driv ers for deliveries. Lloyd Monk was one of the drivers; he had received his license at age fourteen and made his deliveries in a 1925 Dodge panel truck.

One or two teenagers would work "on the floor” to help stock items and fetch others. They might sack pota toes, especially right before a sale. Usu ally ads ran in the newspaper on Fri days, announcing sales for the following day.

To receive goods, delivery trucks pulled up along the building on Chapala Street where there was a delivery door and chute leading to the basement ware house. Either a wooden plank (to walk on) or a metal plank with rollers (for boxes) would be extended from the

94

NOTICIAS

truck across the sidewalk to the door of the warehouse and down the chute the

case, it was also his first opportunity to own a necktie.

supplies would go.

The Jordanos were not without com petition, for there were rival stores with in a few blocks. Shapiro and K.ohn, known as the S & K Market, was a

Anthony’s job was to box groceries and carry them to customers’ cars. The store saved boxes of all shapes and sizes as well as wooden crates for this pur pose. Sometimes, as parking was at a premium, the box boys had to carry the items quite some distance.

Shopping carts were unknown; cus tomers used wicker baskets. Oftentimes

large grocery store at 700-704 State Street. This market periodically adver tised "loss leaders,”, items sold at or be low cost to attract customers. Some times the younger Jordano boys would buy up these items, and return to their store, where they would be resold at a profit.

Score No. 2—San Andres Street Several years into the Depression, the Jordanos felt a need for another store to serve the city’s Westside. This market would be exclusively cash and carry.

This store, also known as the Thrift Market opened in 1932 at 1503 San An dres Street. Store No. 1 continued to handle phone and delivery orders.

One of the many Italian families which worked with and were friends with the Jordanos was the Rossi family.

The Rossis also hailed from Rivarolo Canavese. Father Frank worked in the

they would line up five or six baskets at the checkout counter. Mistakes did hap pen; once in awhile the boys would load the groceries in the wrong car if the cus tomer did not adequately describe the vehicle.

During the Depression, prices were amazingly low by today's standards.

Bunched goods, such as carrots, beets, spinach, etc., could sell for as little as a penny a bunch. Customers often stocked up and would later can the pro duce. Roasts sold for two cents a pound, while tomato sauce may be sold for six cans for a quarter. Five pounds of sugar cost twenty cents, a quarter could buy six pounds of bananas, and a potato cost one cent. From the bakery, a fresh apple pie went for twenty-nine cents and these prices did not reflect the weekend sales.

Jordanos’ wine department and handled the bottling under the Jordano label.

Among the next Rossi generation, John worked as a delivery man, Angie was a cashier, Louis was a driver, and Joe and Alex also worked at Jordanos’. Louis arose at five in the morning in order to be at the San Andres store at six to pre pare it for opening. Yet another Rossi boy, Italo, known as Anthony, began working at Jordanos’ at thirteen as a box boy. In the depths of the Depression, any income, no matter how small, could

would create an atmosphere of custom er service. There often was a closeness,

be important to family. In Anthony’s

a sense of loyalty, between the employ-

Anthony Rossi was trained in other duties at the store. Dwight Haven, man ager of the butcher shop at the Canon Perdido store, offered him an early morning job slicing bacon with a handcranked sheer. For slicing enough to last the day, Rossi received fifty cents.

The Jordanos did not hesitate to re ward young people who showed initia tive, for the brothers realized this

THEJORDANO STORY ers and their young employees. When Anthony Rossi graduated from high school and faced the uncertain job mar ket of the Depression, John Jordano of fered him a full-time position, to begin first thing Saturday morning after Fri day’s commencement. Rossi had to break the news to his girl that he would not be able to stay at the dance at the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club at Rockwood, for he had to be at work early in the morning.

Every effort was made to maintain the stores in a neat and clean manner.

Produce assistants washed and then at tractively arranged the produce on the wooden counters. Colored paper and sprigs of parsley were utilized for deco ration. Produce was hand-watered and every night at closing it was all gathered up and stored. The next morning the whole process would begin again.

Saturdays were the big days, the days of the weekend specials (the stores were closed on Sundays). Preparations began late Friday afternoons for Satur day mornings. Shelves were re-stocked, specials were marked, signs were made.

The butcher would reline the meat cases.

The work went on until eight-thirty of nine at night. The next morning, there often would be lines of people waiting to get in.

The San Andres store had large, bulky wooden doors that, when opened, opened up the entire front of the store. Clerks be gan pushing counters filled with mer chandise towards the front and even put items out on the sidewalk. Customers

95

the clerks to pick out only the freshest produce or the finest cut of meat. Once completed the customer's order would be placed in a basket or baskets near the checkout stands.

At times clerks responded to custom ers’ requests other than groceries. Many customers still raised their own poultry, goats, or rabbits and would ask for a bag of trimmings. If unavailable at the time of the request, a clerk would gather trimmings in the course of the day and later deliver the greens to the customer's home. The Jordanos always took care of their customers.

The customer-clerk relationship could lead in unexpected directions. One woman customer at Store No. 2 thought very highly of Anthony Rossi and would often wait until Rossi could serve her. One time she asked Rossi if he would mind acompanying her daugh ter to a party. Rossi agreed, although he had never met the daughter, and they were married three years later.

The Jordanos enjoyed continued suc cess and over the years expanded by opening new stores. They opened Store No. 3 in 1935 at 201 North Milpas Street to serve the growing population of the city’s Eastside and in 1938 opened Store No. 4 at 1410 State Street.

Over the next thirty-two years, the Jordano family would ultimately open seventeen stores from Ventura to San

sometimes became impatient waiting for the preparations to be completed.

Customer self-service was virtually unknown. Clerks would stand with the

Luis Obispo. Jordano markets became part and parcel of community life and this helped the Jordanos to withstand the onslaught of the giant supermarket chains for decades longer than many other independent markets. The Jorda nos sold their stores in the 1970s to

customers who named off what they wanted to buy. The customers trusted

Smith’s Food King and diversified into a distribution conglomerate of food, bev-

96

NOTICIAS

erages, and restaurant supplies. An edito rial from the company newsletter in 1965 summed up the secrets of success of the business started by the four sons of an immigrant Italian farmer; The business bearing the name Jordano has survived, and the reasons are not mysterious. They are in the open and plain enough that all may see and find fascinating. The attainment has neededfar more than merely showing upfor worli day in and week,out,

month in and year out since 1915.

First, the founding Jordano brothers breathed unquenchable vitality in their efi forts because they were stout ofheart. Sec ond, they had superior vision. They could see well beyond the ends of their noses, as expression goes. These two attributes alone would bring them a long way. Add to them the essential hiack. offollowing through promptly with decisive action if, when, and to the degree required, and you have an exceptionalformula goingfor you.^^

NOTES 1. Jorda-T^ews, March 1965, 4.

2. Ibid.

3. Jorda-News, March 1965, 5.

4. Jorda-News, March 1965, 8.

5. Jorda-News, April 1965, 14.

6, Jorda-News, February 1965, 10.

7. Jorda-News,March 1965, 8.

8. Michael]. Phillips, History ofSanta Barbara County California From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time, Volume II{Chicago: The S.J. Clarke Publishing Company. 1927), 133.

9. Ibid.

10. Jorda-News, March 1965, 6.

19. Ibid.

20. Jorda-News, February 1965, 6.

21. Ibid.

22. Ibid.

23. Jorda-News, April 1965, 13.

24. Jorda-News, February 1965. 1.

25. Jorda-News,April 1965, 13.

26. Ibid.

27. Jorda-News, February 1965, 1.

28. Jorda-News, March 1965, 11.

29. Jorda-News, April 1965, 4.

30. Jorda-News, April 1965, 2.

31. Ibid.

ii. Jorda-News,FehTuary 1965. 1.

12. Jorda-News, February 1965, 6.

13. Ibid.

32. Jorda-News, March 1965, 12.

14. Jorda-News, February 1965, 1.

15. Ibid.

35. Santa Barbara News-Press. 17 June 1973.

36. Ibid.

16. Jorda-News, February 1965. 6.

17. Jorda-News, April 1965, 2.

18. Jorda-News, April 1965, 6.

33. Jorda-News, March 1965. 13.

34. Jorda-News, March 1965, 1.

37. Phillips, 134.

38. Jorda-News, April 1965, 9.

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