The STORY OF ISAAC'S FOOD STORE

It is July 1945.

America is in the final stretch of WWII, astride the short period between Allied victories in Europe and Japan.

The war is front page news in the Ironwood Daily Globe, the newspaper of record for Ironwood, MI – a now-dwindling boom town on the Upper Peninsula’s border with Wisconsin, built nearby the Gogebic Iron Range.

On February 12, 1945, between front page stories from Iwo Jima, Kleve (Germany), Manila and London was the big local news of the day: the rescue of two women from the Isaac Building fire, which also housed the Gogebic Fruit Store.

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Less than five months later, Sam would take the reins.

And on July 20, 1945 the first ad announcing that Isaac’s Food Store ran in the Daily Globe.

Located at 408 E. McLeod St, and three short blocks from fire, the Store sold fruit, meat, groceries, beer and wine, and featured a small café.

Isaac’s Food Store, however, was short lived.

Roberta Isaac, Sam’s wife, apparently was all-too-eager to leave the long, remote winters of Ironwood and the family moved to Colorado Springs, CO in 1947 where a portion of the family had already moved.

Now we can’t offer you a date and nut sandwich for 15 cents.

But we can help keep a little bit of this family tradition alive.

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The label you are holding imagines what a private label product from Isaac’s Food Store might have looked, felt, and tasted like.

The label features a digital reconstruction of the original hand-lettered sign and wordmark along with a little bit of 1940s copywriting hustle and moxie thrown in for good measure.

We hope Grandpa would approve.

Enjoy and eat up.

--MI

Isaac Brand

Established 1945

Re-established 2018