In 1926, Selnes Grocery in downtown Seaside was a local shopper’s delight. A grocery store in the 1920s was your one-stop emporium for all the basic necessities as well as the cutting-edge material luxuries. If you were out on your weekly food run, a half gallon of milk would run you about 28¢.  How about that one pound box of Liberty Brand Coffee sitting on the shelf? That’ll be 50¢, Mister. Perhaps you had your eye on a brand new seven-piece furniture set (arm chair, reception chair, arm rocker, rocker, tabourette, bookends, and table) made by a local craftsman? You would have to dig a bit deeper into your pockets and pay $29 up front. Just to give a little perspective, if iPads had existed at this time, you would probably be shelling out around $32.50 for the newest generation.

Despite the fluctuations of inflation, one thing that never changed was the intimacy of the shopping experience. You can bet the clerk pictured here knew all of her clientele by name and was probably the type to pass a penny candy over the table to a wide-eyed child.