Neighborhood Potato Chip Factories

Discussion in 'Other Reminiscences' started by Ken Anderson, Mar 16, 2017.

  1. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    Perhaps it was just a Midwest thing, I don’t know, but do you remember when there were Lay’s potato chip factories even in small towns?

    Menominee and Escanaba are only about fifty miles apart, and Stephenson is in between, so that’s at least three within a fifty mile range of one another, and there may have been more. Being a kid, I would only know of the ones that I had gone to with my dad, so there may have been more.

    Rather than shipping from a central location, each factory supplied the stores for a distance around them.

    The one in Stephenson was originally Lou’s Potato Chips. I think they were all Lou’s Potato Chips. It was bought out by Lay’s in the early 1960s, and closed in the late 1960s, after which the building became a video arcade and then a restaurant. The last time I was home, I think an insurance company was in there.

    My dad was a Boy Scout leader, and the potato chip factories would give him large cardboard boxes of potato chip seconds, which were ones that were a little overdone to bring on Cub Scout or Boy Scout camping trips. Although they did not sell their regular potato chips directly from the factory, they would sell their seconds for 25-cents a box, and I’m talking about a box the size of at least ten to fifteen family-size bags of potato chips.

    In my opinion, the overdone potato chips were better than the ones in the grocery stores anyhow.

    lous-sportsmanship-010359.jpg
    From Newspapers.com archive of Escanaba Daily Press (Jan. 3, 1959)
     
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    Last edited: Mar 16, 2017
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  2. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Ken Anderson
    No Lay's, in Fort Wayne (IN), but years back, a huge potato chip plant named Seyfert's. Known all over the area.
     
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  3. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    I don't know about potato chips but the southside of Chicago always smelled Fritos to me.
     
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  4. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    Here in Louisiana it was the Bread "bakeries" and the Coffee grinding factories we would smell every morning on our way to school, work, or just to run errands. It was a wonderful way to start any morning! :)
     
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  5. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Chrissy Cross
    That may have been the Stockyards, Chrissy! One of Chicago's most famous steak restaurants was located adjacent to them, a fact I never really understood! I never ate there, but likely ate (ultimately) plenty of the result stemming from one of the country's biggest slaughterhouses!
    Frank
     
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  6. Krissttina Isobe

    Krissttina Isobe Veteran Member
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    Here in Hawaii on Oahu, Frito Lay plant closed, but retained all employees in 2006. We had a beer operation in Pearl City where we lived too that produced Primo beer. Many small shops and restaurants closed up too within the decade past some retires and others just couldn't keep up with the ongoing demands of rent. Sad to see them go. I love to see new shops open up locally.
     
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  7. Missy Lee

    Missy Lee Veteran Member
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    Does this mean that you are no longer able to buy Lay's Chips in the USA? We still get them in Canada and I can eat half a big bag given the chance.
     
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  8. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    We still have Lay's potatoes chips, Missy. I love chips and even when I was sick and had no appetite...I somehow managed to eat chips. :)
     
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  9. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Nice to see you again, @Krissttina Isobe!
     
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  10. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    They are just made in a few large factories rather than thousands of small ones, and distributed internationally rather than locally.
     
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  11. Babs Hunt

    Babs Hunt Supreme Member
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    They definitely still have Lay's Potato Chips here in the U.S. @Missy Lee In fact they before I came to help with my grandbabies here in Texas I bought my husband a brand new flavor of Lays potato chips called "Beer and Brats". :)There are all kinds of different flavors of Lay's potato chips out there now.
     
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  12. Von Jones

    Von Jones Supreme Member
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    Here the potato chip company is Mikesell. Mikesell was established here before I was born and still present.

    I remember when I was little going on a tour of the factory starting from the shipping dock all the way til we each walked out with a small bag of chips.
     
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  13. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Von Jones
    Interesting history. Oldest chip-maker in U.S. :

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike-sell's
     
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  14. Kitty Carmel

    Kitty Carmel Veteran Member
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    Regular lays, and the lightly salted ones, are still one of my favorite potato chip brands. And I love chips!

    I'm with you on those so called over done ones. :) I'm always happy when I get a bag where some of those slipped through. Those are the best!
     
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