Rivkin’s Grocery
Grocery
1912-1948
Lady Street
Columbia, SC
FAMILIES: Rivkin
Jacob Rivkin (1876-1962), his wife Tama (1874-1938), and their children immigrated from Russia to the United States in 1906. By 1912, Jacob had purchased property at 1012 Lady Street in Columbia and opened Rivkin’s Grocery. Rivkin’s sold kosher products to Columbia’s Jewish population but served a diverse clientele that included working-class folk and African Americans. Rivkin’s Grocery opened a second location in 1919 at 1000 Gates Street (now Park Street), that was operated by his eldest son Raphael (1899-1987), and Raphaels wife, Rachel Winter (1902-1984). A third Rivkin’s location was opened in 1926 at 2201 Calhoun Street. By the late 1920s, Caba Rivkin (1904-1995), Jacobs second son, had taken over management of Rivkin’s Grocery, and in 1931, purchased the lot next door to the original Lady Street location. Caba expanded the store, turning it into a joint grocery-delicatessen, making it the first Jewish deli in Columbia. In 1939, Caba opened a second Rivkin’s Deli in Five Points but by 1941 sold both locations to Harold “Groucho” Miller (1899-1974), founder of popular deli chain Groucho’s.
Main Image: Photo of Caba Rivkin outside Rivkin’s Grocery and Delicatessen at 1014 Lady Street, 1936. Image courtesy of Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries.
Above Image: Photo of Rivkin’s Grocery and Delicatessen storefront at 1014 Lady Street, date unknown. Image courtesy of Special Collections, College of Charleston Libraries.
Above Image: Advertisement for Rivkin’s Grocery and Delicatessen after expanding to 1014 Lady Street, 1930. Reprinted from The Columbia Record, November 28, 1930.