Lundy's
was a small Montana grocery chain headquartered in Helena. It
was owned by Oliver and Albert Lundborg, and operated from the
1930s to the 1960s with stores in Helena, Townsend and Livingston.
Albert (1914-2005)
and Oliver Lundborg (1912-2006) were natives of South Dakota,
where their father had a general store in Alpina. Their sister
Elsie had come to Helena, and was working at Intermountain College.
Al and Oliver later came west, and enrolled at Intermountain.
The closing
of the school after the earthquakes of 1935 sent Al back to
South Dakota, where he earned a degree in accounting and economics.
He returned to Helena, and along with Oliver opened Lundy's
Drive-In Market at the corner of Montana Ave. and 11th. in 1939.
World War II interrupted their endeavors, closing the store
for a time.
In 1946,
Al and Oliver purchased several lots on the NW corner of Benton
and Euclid and built a new Lundy's Market there. In 1950, they
expanded the store into what was Helena's first "supermarket".
Other family members had by then joined the enterprise.
The expanded
store measured 140' x 75' (10,500 sq. ft.). The parking lot
had spots for 300 cars. The interior was lit by three rows of
flourescent lights, and featured self-service meat and produce
counters.
The Lundborgs
ran their own produce trucks between Montana and the west coast,
which they claimed enabled them to stock better produce at lower
prices than their competitors. The supermarket was extensively
remodeled in 1954.
In 1963,
the Lundborgs sold the food market interest to Super Save Markets
and built the Lundy Center. The old store closed on Nov. 9,
1963, and was moved south across Euclid Avenue. It is now part of Rucker's Furniture.
Al operated
the new Lundy Center for twenty years before selling it, and began
devoting much of his time to the Helena community, especially
to the arts.
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