Brunini Liquor Co. - Seattle
The Brunini Brothers (Christopher and Edward) began business in a combination saloon and liquor store at 2001 1st Ave in Seattle in 1905. They moved to 2019 1st Ave. sometime in 1907 and were in business at that location until prohibition in 1915.
Grants House of Quality - Seattle
William M. Grant formed a partnership with a man named Williams and opened a combination bar and cafe at 614 First Avenue in 1903. Sometime that same year he dissolved the partnership and opened Grant's Cafe and Bar at 1412-16 Third Avenue. He continued that operation until Prohibition in 1915. Grant also operated the wholesale liquor house from 1909 until sometime in 1910 when he gave the lease to an D. McKenzie which was to expire on December 31, 1912.
Note: Della Kinsey filed suit in the Superior Court of Seattle on August 16, 1910 seeking her share of profits from a D. McKenzie with whom she co-owned Grant's House of Quality at that time. She claimed that he refused to share profits with her and was neglecting the business. Bids for lease of the property and assets were taken by the court on January 31, 1911 and sold at that time.
Haley Grocery Co. - Tacoma
The records are sparse in trying to track the lineage of the Haley Grocery Co. of Seattle. We find John Haley as a partner in the Haley & Wright Co. (Charles H. Wright) located at 722 2nd Ave. which was located in the Boston Block Building between 1889-1890, one of the only structures to survive the great Seattle Fire in 1889. Next, he is listed under "Grocers" as a vice-president of the Haley-Glenn Co. at the same location with J.H. Glenn as president and H.H. Meeker as secretary/treasurer. In 1892, the business (still in the same location) is now listed as the Haley Grocery with Joseph B. Hill as president, Haley as vice-president and H. Ward as secretary/treasurer.. In 1894, Haley was sued by the Haley Grocery Co. for engaging in the grocery business after having sold his stock in the company which apparently indicated that he had a non-compete clause in the lawsuit and further stating that he could not live within a 1/2 mile radius of the Haley Grocery Co. The only other reference to John Haley was in the 1900 Seattle Polk Directory as having been a clerk at the L.A. & Co. residing at 2115 4th Ave. By 1900, the 722 2nd Ave location was a grocery listed as the Pidduck-Ross-Melhorn Co.with no further listings of the Haley Grocery to be found.
Everett Liquor Co. - Everett
Rodger D. Levy and Emil Ofner started the Everett Liquor Company sometime in 1902 and it was located at 1903 Hewitt Avenue in Everett. This area of town was known as the saloon district which at the time had 26 different saloons on Hewitt Avenue alone. Levy and Ofner were one of the few business doing both a wholesale and retail wine and liquor business and by 1904 were giving out Green Stamps with every purchase. Levy bought out Ofner in 1905 and continued at the same location until the city temporarily shut down all saloons in 1911. They reopened on January 1, 1913 when Everett voters repealed the "Local Option Dry Law" and the business was then located at 1403 Hewitt Avenue and under the management of Fred G. Brown. The company lasted until state-wide Prohibition in 1915.
Hub Liquor Co. - Seattle
Most likely the beginning of the Hub Liquor Company was around 1907 when it was called the Hub Restaurant. At the time, George V. Kilgore and Ernest L. Flack were operating it. That same year, Harry Levin was the manager of the retail department of the Keystone Liquor Company, a wholesale liquor house in Seattle. Levin bought the Hub Restaurant in 1908 and changed its name to the Hub Liquor Company which was mainly a retail liquor outlet that dealt in family trade. It remained under Levin's care until sometime in 1914 when it closed. Beginning in 1912, Levin opened another retail store at 215 Second Avenue South (the previous location of H. Tarnow and Co.). It was named the Lion Liquor Company and was taken over the following year by his brother Edward. The Lion Liquor Company sold wines, liquors, cigars and again family trade as a specialty. The store closed in 1915 due to Prohibition.
Levinson's - Seattle
Joseph Levinson began business in Seattle sometime in 1899 at 1209 Second Street. At first the business was a small wholesale wine and delicatessen store. It grew into one of the leading wholesale wine and liquor houses in Seattle and lasted until Prohibition in 1915. In 1905 the firm was claiming to be the oldest wholesale house in Seattle selling to family trade. The motto of the company was "Our Name Our Guarantee". Levinson's advertised frequently in the early papers, running fill-page ads for wines, whiskies and cigars. They ran annual sales and gave out profit sharing certificates to customers that could be exchanged for furniture, cut glass, silverware, china and hundreds of other articles for the home. They even put out an illustrated premium catalog for their gifts. In later years, Levinson also had another business on the southwest corner of 3rd and Cherry called Levinson's Buffet.