7-Eleven started in Oak Cliff as an icehouse. People needed blocks of ice for their ‘iceboxes’ and the Southland Ice Company was there to serve them by 1927. However, the Southland Ice Company didn’t just sell ice. They decided to make things convenient on their customers by adding eggs, milk, bread and the like to their storefront.
The stores were then renamed Tote’m stores because a) people were toting groceries home from the stores and b) the company ‘bought’ totem poles from Alaska and had them shipped to Texas. *cringe* The stores ultimately became rebranded as 7-Eleven stores for their hours (7 am to 11 pm) which was unheard-of store hours at the time.
There is a second part to this story, however, and that is the man behind the store – Joe C. Thompson Jr. He had quite the ride in life, so stay tuned.
Image – an unnamed employee of Southland Ice Company stands in front of their store at Edgefield and 12th.
