Meet Texas’ Oldest Grocery Stores Still Thriving Today

Texas is full of history; we know that. But perhaps you didn't know that we have not one, not two but THREE of the oldest & longest running grocery stores that you can still find in the United States.

H-E-B is a Texas favorite that's been around since the early 1900s

Yes Texas LOVES H-E-B. The H-E-B compart was founded in 1905 by a woman named Florence Butt. It was first called the C.C. Butt Grocery Story in Kerville, Texas; the 2nd store would open up in Del Rio, Texas in 1927.

After that, the rest is history. Today there are over 400 H-E-B stores; sadly there's not one in El Paso but you can find out which store is closest to El Paso here.

United Supermarkets has been a staple of Texas history since 1916

If you travel to Lubbock, Texas, you'll find the headquarters of the United Family chain of supermarkets. There are 95 locations around North & West Texas. While most aren't operating under the United name, they ARE still around under their new name since 2014: Albertsons. But you can still find a total of 51 locations around Texas.

Texas' Brookshire Brothers is just over 100 years old

Brookshire Brothers was founded in Lufkin, Texas back in 1921 by the brothers Austin & Tom Brookshire. Since it's opened, the private employee-owned chain has a total of 117 stores all over Central/Eastern Texas & Louisiana.

Another one noting is the Brookshire's grocery chain in Tyler, Texas (not to be confused with Brookshire Brothers); they've been around since 1928. They haven't hit the century mark but they're getting there!

While these chains are not THE oldest in United States; names like Kroger, Doud's Market, Acme have been around since the 1800s, these Texas chains ARE historical in their own right.

Get our free mobile app