The T.H. Best building, located at the corner of Hwy 63 (Main Street) and Second Street in downtown Traer, pictured decades ago when the corner brick building still housed a grocery. Today, the building is part of La Terraza Mexican Seafood & Grill which recently expanded west into the space. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Editor’s Note: In light of La Terraza’s recent expansion from its original location at Traer’s 602 Second Street into the adjacent T.H. Best building located on the corner of Second and US 63/Main Street, the Telegraph is taking a look back through the building’s more than 130 years of existence beginning with its grocery store roots courtesy of Traer Historical Museum President George Kadrmas.

TRAER – Thomas Hiram Best came to Traer in 1878 and began working as a clerk at Galen Canfield’s grocery store. In 1882, he married Isabel Daniel, daughter of Dr. Wesley Daniel, a local pioneer. Isabel was born in old Buckingham and grew up in the area. T. H. Best became a partner in Best & Canfield Grocery and bought the entire business about 1890.

In July 1894, Best ordered 150,000 bricks for the new corner grocery building and moved his wood-frame grocery store onto the street. Alexander Glaze of Traer was in charge of the construction of the new brick building on the same lot. The exterior walls of the building consist of three layers of brick.

The 110-foot-long, two-story building boasted an 80-foot-long store area with a large double plate glass front, a corner entrance, and hardwood counters and shelves. The 90-foot cellar was equipped with a freight elevator for moving barreled goods. The back 30 feet was a store room.

The handsome new building was completed in October 1894. The law firm of Endicott & Pratt occupied three large rooms in the front of the second floor. Sliding double doors connected two rooms. A fireplace gave a home-like appearance to the front room.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Also in 1894, Elem O. Ellison opened his photography studio in the rear rooms of the second floor. John Hladik opened a shoe repair shop in the basement. Exterior stairs to the basement shop were located on the west side along the public sidewalk.

Best sold his grocery stock and business in April 1900 to Will Henderson, a Traer life insurance agent, and his brother James of Illinois. The Henderson brothers rented the building for $40 per month and called it the Corner Grocery. The business was successful. James Henderson died suddenly in 1908, and Will continued the grocery for two more years.

In May 1910, Marvin Howard and Frank Wignall purchased the grocery stock and business and named it the Star Grocery. Howard had experience in both the grocery and lumber businesses in Traer and Dysart. Frank Wignall had previously worked as a clerk at Morrison’s grocery store. In October of that year, E. D. Sawyer and his son Louis purchased a half interest from Frank Wignall. Marvin Howard brought his son Clarence into the business. Louis Sawyer and Clarence Howard were in charge of the day-to-day operation of the store.

In 1916, Clarence and Grace Green Howard moved to California to operate a grocery business in Long Beach and Pasadena. Louis Sawyer continued to operate the Corner Grocery for 10 years before selling it to Joseph T. Leehey in July 1926. Sawyer became manager of the Traer Hatchery.

Leehey sold the business to William C. Keraus, of Klemme, Iowa, in October 1927. The Keraus family moved into the front apartment upstairs. Mr. Keraus had 14 years of experience working behind the counter in Klemme. He and his wife had two sons. The building lease expired December 31, 1929, and Keraus held a four-day, close-out sale.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

In January 1930, T. J. McGinnis opened a grocery store in the building. The interior was completely repainted and redecorated with new shelving. McGinnis had previously operated a general store in Traer, where the Traer Historical Museum is now located. Unfortunately, Mr. McGinnis experienced financial difficulties, and the stock was taken over by his creditors in December 1932. In January, a two-day sale was held to dispose of the inventory.

In March 1933, Spooner’s Food Mart opened in the Best building. The Spooner family had a grocery store in Tama for over 25 years, and a son, Leon Spooner, had a successful grocery store in Toledo. His brother was in charge of the Traer store. The grand opening featured three food demonstrations by representatives of Folgers Coffee, Standard Biscuit Company, and the W. K. Kellogg Company. Coffee and wafers were served, and free balloons were given to youngsters. The Spooner store was equipped with modern fixtures. The Traer store closed at the end of December 1933.

The building sat vacant for several months. James Koshatka leased the building in October 1935 and opened the Please U Grocery store. He rented the front apartment upstairs for living quarters. Mr. Koshatka had worked as a clerk for Louis Sawyer and the Farmers Mercantile.

Koshatka remodeled the store with modern shelves, removing the counters, and adding rows of electric lights. It was arranged for self-service with customers selecting items from the shelves themselves. The store featured Libby’s canned goods as well as less expensive brands. Traer meats and bakery were featured as well as fruits, vegetables and other produce from local farms. The store sold eggs from local produce houses.

In May 1940, the business was sold to Reuel W. Haenze from Rockford, Illinois. It became Reuel’s Jack Sprat store. Jack Sprat remained open for 20 years, closing in March 1960. Through the years, ownership of the building was retained by Best family members and the building always housed a grocery store.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM

Howard Best, the son of T. H. and Isabel Best, retained ownership after his parents died. He lived in Pasadena, California. In 1933, he sold the building to his brother-in-law, Leo Paulger who grew up in Waterloo but lived in Washington D.C.

In 1960, Mrs. Melvin (Nancy) Dixon of Oregon became the owner of the building. The Dixons made extensive repairs on the building and Clarence Starck rented it for his plumbing and heating business. The Starck family lived in the upstairs apartment. Clarence Starck remained in business until July 1963, when he took employment at Grange Heating Company in Waterloo.

The building sat empty for a long period. In February 1967, Jack Bauch, a local lawyer, purchased the building and S&W Appliance rented it for a television and radio store. The Wiese family bought Ted’s Appliance Store from Ted Joens and renamed it S & W Appliance Store. The Wiese family came to Traer from Belle Plaine where they had another store. They needed more space for the expanded television business. In 1969, S&W moved everything to the Porterfield building.

Barbara Bauch opened Jeb’s Country Store in the fall of 1970. The new store carried candles, glassware, greeting cards, draperies, wallpaper, gifts of all kinds, and accessories for the home. In 1979, Jeb’s moved across the street to the west.

The building was subsequently remodeled and became the home of Family Federal Savings and Loan. In 1991, it became Central Iowa Savings and Loan before later becoming MEMBERS1st Savings and Loan (Community Credit Union) which moved down the block to 503 Second Street in 2023.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE TRAER HISTORICAL MUSEUM