Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On December 13, 1930, Charles Hyde and David Vredenburg opened their first co-owned store in Beaconsfield, Iowa. Familiar to Iowans today as Hy-Vee, the partnership blossomed from Beaconsfield to become one of Iowa’s most iconic brands.
In 1917, David Vredenburg entered the grocery business by operating a store for the Lamoni-based General Supply Company. In 1921, Charles Hyde started working at a store operated by Vredenberg and his partner Lewis in Woodbine. By 1930, Vredenburg decided to form a partnership to form the General Supply Company and open its first store in Beaconsfield, Iowa.
After the Great Depression forced the dissolution of the General Supply Company, Vredenburg purchased many of the chain’s holdings. The two partners operated their own stores in addition to their joint venture, and by 1938, Hyde and Vredenburg decided to consolidate their independently owned stores in Iowa and Missouri into a 15-store chain.
The company of Hyde & Vredenburg continued to build, moving its corporate headquarters to Chariton in 1945. In 1952, it also adopted the winning entry of an employee naming contest to adopt the familiar Hy-Vee brand for its stores. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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