JANESVILLE, Wis. — What seemed to be another normal renovation project in Janesville, Wisconsin, turned out to be a journey back through time as a historic Woodman’s Food Market sign was unveiled during a renovation project.
“There was an awning, a big green and white awning, similar to like a blockbuster awning, if you remember Blockbuster,” said Michael Collins, managing broker at Rock Realty. “When that was removed, it said Woodman’s Food Market.”
The building, located at 922 Milton Ave. in Janesville, was the first location of Woodman’s Food Market; it first opened in 1921. The building, as well as the sign, had gone through many owners’ hands, but that sign dating back to the 20s was still there.
Collins purchased the building for Rock Realty knowing the history that came with it, but never expected to find such a significant historical landmark.
“I have vivid memories of going with my mom to Woodman’s Grocery Store,” said Collins. “It is certainly entrenched in my memory and I am very proud to be a part of history.”
When Collins and his mom would head to Woodman’s, he said he would always buy soda that had a joke on the bottom.
“They had a riddle on the bottom of the can,” said Collins. “Every time I went to the store with her, I could get a soda that when you are done drinking, you can look at the bottom of the can and see the joke.”
Collins said many community members must have similar memories of Woodman’s because once the news broke about the sign, the Milton Avenue building became very popular.
“There was quite a buzz with cameras and stopped traffic and all sorts of interest in this,” said Collins.
The founder of Woodman’s, John Woodman, first started selling produce that was grown on his farm. Two years after that, the first Woodman’s Food Market opened in Janesville.
Woodman’s has grown a lot since it started. It now has 19 stores in both Wisconsin and Illinois, bringing in $2 billion in annual revenue.
Tim Maahs, executive director at Rock County Historical Society, said historical items like the Woodman’s sign play an important role in the community, as it shows people how far the Woodman family has come.
“It really allows people to appreciate how a business like that, how they have grown and adapted to current trends in size when it became the supermarket,” said Maahs.
For now, the sign has been removed and donated to the Woodman family by Rock Realty. While the exact location for the final resting spot of the sign is unknown, two possible locations are the Woodman’s conference and sports center or the Janesville Woodman’s Food Market location.
But just because the sign has been removed from the building does not mean the history is gone. Collins said he plans on honoring its history with commemorative hangings after the building is completely renovated.
“What I envision for these hangings, is in the foyer we would have something, ideally in the conference rooms as well and probably in the flex room — everywhere that the public would come in and see just to be reminded of the significance of this site,” said Collins.