Hyde Park Drug Store and F. A. Dunn Groceries, 301 Magnolia Avenue.
Hyde Park Drug Store and F. A. Dunn Groceries at 301 Magnolia Avenue. 1927 Burgert Brothers. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System
Magnolia Inspiring Interiors, 301 Magnolia Ave. 2021. © Chip Weiner
This image demonstrates the importance of the preservation of the Burgert collection. Once negatives are damaged to this extent, they are irreparable. While modern photography editing software can quickly compensate in some situations, there is typically no replacing the original subject. It is also an example of the ability to peer into the past with its antique bicycles, vintage truck, and the not-so-easily-seen cardboard promotional cutout of a woman standing in the E.A. Dunn grocery store window. In addition, there is a poster promoting an evangelist named Billy Sunday to appear in the same month this photo was taken.
The EA Dunn Grocery Store positioned itself as convenient for both Davis Islands and Hyde Park. Neighborhood grocery stores were an essential resource since shopping occurred more frequently than today, with less refrigeration available. The same thing was true with stores like the Hyde Park Drugstore. Prescription drugs and other remedies were extremely popular in the 1920s, though by today’s standards, some ingredients may have leaned more into the snake oil category. In 2013, Magnolia Inspiring Interiors did a complex restoration and opened their store here.
© Chip Weiner. All rights reserved
From Burgert Brothers: Look Again, Vol.2