Schaffer Stores Company was a small grocery chain store based in Schenectady, New York. The business gained valuable experience by running a self-service grocery store beginning in 1929. Schaffer's first supermarket, called Empire Market, opened in 1933. [1]
The business was founded by Henry Schaffer (1890 - December 16, 1982). A native of Poland who came to Schenectady in his youth, he lived in Schenectady at the time of his death from leukemia.
Schaffer formed Schaffer Stores Company in 1907. [2] He operated 31 stores by 1922. [3] In 25 years the firm grew to include 185 stores in the Hudson Valley, Mohawk Valley, and western Massachusetts. [2]
The chain was acquired by Grand Union (supermarket) in June 1958 for approximately $8 million. [4] Grand Union, based in East Paterson, New Jersey, operated 472 supermarkets. At the time, Schaffer ran 41 grocery stores, the majority of which were supermarkets. [5]