This article appeared in the Winter, 1993 edition of The Enterprise. ©1993, The Berea Area Historical Society. Berea's Grocery Store on Wheels Robert M. Beckwith Adapted from an article in the Clevland News, May 27, 1948 Robert M. Beckwith, a Merchant Marine veteran, returned to his hometown Berea after World War II and began his business of delivering groceries door-to-door. The idea for his Transit market had been conceived while serving as an engineer on an ocean vessel making convoy-cargo runs to Murmansk, Russia. Bob and his partner, Richard G. Clogg, a former Army staff sergeant with Merrill's Marauders in Burma, went into business on a shoestring and were successful merchandising food in an old-new idea. Their grocery store on wheels, replete with canned goods, meat, soaps and other staples, reached isolated areas of Greater Cleveland ­ just like years ago when the "rolling stores" went through rural sections. Many housewives in the Berea Homes Project and adjacent sections of the southwest switched to the veterans' doorstep grocery delivery service. Some of them formerly had to go three miles to the nearest store. The convenience also eliminated the necessity of finding a baby sitter for the children ­ in those days families could not afford a second car. The Green and White Transit market proprietors, boyhood pals, bought a used school bus. They removed the seats, fitted the interior with shelves, food drawers, a gas refrigerator and an initial cargo of $800 in groceries. Dick Clogg was at the helm and drove the bus through areas of his native Berea that were without adequate public transportation accommodations. Bob Beckwith sold from the bus and kept the bus stocked with provisions. He used his light truck to haul merchandise from Cleveland's wholesale markets to Berea, to replenish their supplies. The idea was a big success ­ testimonies of customers, when interviewed about the Transit market, were spontaneous and favorable. They distributed window cards, similar to ice cards to eliminate the need for horn blowing and bell ringing to alert their customers. Their partnership was dissolved after several years but will be remembered by many of their customers who benefited from the convenience. [To Enterprise Page]