7 Popular Jacksonville Names That Aren't Around Anymore

2. Setzer's Supermarkets


Tallahassee's Setzer's during its mid 1950's grand opening.  This Setzer's anchored the first shopping center built in Florida's capitol city.

Benjamin and Abraham Setzer immigrated to Jacksonville in 1910. The brothers started out in the ice business, but would end up establishing their own lumber company in 1918. This wouldn’t last long—as Benjamin Setzer quickly found himself in the butchering business just a few years later.

Benjamin was working for Emmett and Wesley Peacock's Peacock Brothers in Springfield. Within a year, Benjamin would take over the operations.

Thus, the first Setzer’s location was opened. Setzer’s would manage through the Great Depression, but would rapidly expand thereafter—becoming one of Jacksonville’s earliest grocery chains. Setzer’s would continue to expand through World War II, creating a distribution hub and corporate office in Springfield's Warehouse District. By the ‘50’s, Setzer’s was a forty unit chain with stores all over the state of Florida.

In 1958 however, Benjamin Setzer would sell his franchise to Food Fair Stores. Food Fair would grow to be a successful, billion dollar company.

As the saying goes, though, all good things must come to an end. Food Fair would come on financial hardships in the late ‘70’s. The 456+ locations were either closed or sold by 2000.

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