Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

SUPINA SOUVENIR BOWL

Date Range From

1918

Date Range To

1960

Materials

PORCELAIN

No. Pieces

1

Height

6

Diameter

21.5

Description

CHINA BOWL WITH AN IRREGULAR RIM THAT EXTENDS A FLORAL PETAL MOTIF ALONG BOWL’S INSIDE EDGE. CENTRE FEATURES COUNTRY LANDSCAPE INCLUDING A COTTAGE, SURROUNDED BY STAMP MARK IN GOLD STENCIL AND SCRIPT, “COMPLIMENTS OF N. F. SUPINA”. GOOD TO VERY GOOD CONDITION. SLIGHT CRACKING IN THE BOTTOM. THE BASE IS SCUFFED AND DIRTY. THERE ARE SOME MARKS ON THE OUTSIDE EDGE.

Subjects

FURNITURE

Historical Association

BUSINESS

COMMEMORATIVE

DOMESTIC

History

EVERAL HORHOZER (NÉE SUPINA) WAS BORN IN LETHBRIDGE IN THE YEAR OF 1927 TO HER PARENTS DONAH (NÉE HILL) AND NICHOLAS SUPINA. SUPINA WAS THE OWNER OF SUPINA’S MERCANTILE ON 13TH STREET NORTH, LETHBRIDGE. COLLECTIONS TECHNICIAN KEVIN MACLEAN CONDUCTED A SERIES OF INTERVIEWS (ON APRIL 2, APRIL 16, AND MAY 7, 2015) WITH HORHOZER REGARDING A GROUP OF ARTIFACTS SHE DONATED TO THE MUSEUM. THE INFORMATION BELOW HAS COME FROM THESE INTERVIEWS AND LETHBRIDGE HERALD RESEARCH REGARDING HORHOZER AND HER FAMILY. THIS BOWL IS A REMINDER OF THE STORE THAT WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF LIFE IN THE SUPINA FAMILY. HORHOZER REMEMBERS: “MY DAD ALWAYS GAVE A CHRISTMAS GIFT. SO ONE YEAR HE GAVE THE PLATE AND ANOTHER YEAR HE GAVE THIS BOWL AND ACTUALLY THAT’S ALL I KNOW ABOUT IT… [A]LL THE CUSTOMERS, THE ONES THAT DEALT THERE ALL THE TIME [GOT A CHRISTMAS PRESENT]. THE GOOD PAYING ONES AND THE NOT-SO-GOOD PAYING ONES, I THINK THEY PROBABLY EVEN GOT IT TOO, BUT, AS LONG AS THEY WERE CUSTOMERS THEN THEY GOT ONE… MY MOTHER SAVED [IT] FIRSTLY, BECAUSE THEY REALLY MEANT SOMETHING - PART OF THE STORE I GUESS SHE’D SAY. SO, HAD THEM FOR A LONG, LONG TIME… MY MOM HAD ALL KINDS OF ORNAMENTS AROUND AND SHE’D JUST PUT THEM ON A TABLE OR WHATEVER. SHE WOULD CHANGE HER ORNAMENTS EVERY ONCE AND AWHILE, AND THEN SHE’D PUT THESE IN THE CUPBOARD." ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SUPINA’S MERCANTILE, HORHOZER EXPLAINS: “I WAS BORN INTO [THE STORE]. MY DAD STARTED SMALL. HIS DAD HAD A LITTLE CONFECTIONARY; THEN HE TURNED IT INTO A GROCERY STORE AND THEN HE SOLD IT TO MY DAD. MY DAD WAS THE ONE THAT TOOK IT OVER, THAT WAS ALREADY TAKING PLACE WHEN I WAS BORN. THERE WAS NO SPECIFIC MEMORY [OF THAT TRANSITIION] BECAUSE THAT’S ALL I KNEW REALLY.” “… MY DAD WAS BORN IN CZECHOSLOVAKIA. [HIS FAMILY] CAME HERE WHEN HE WAS TWO. [HIS YOUNGER SIBLINGS], THE FIVE BROTHERS AND THE ONE SISTER, WERE ALL BORN IN THAT SAME LITTLE HOUSE THERE. AND THAT’S WHERE MY GRANDPA HAD STARTED THE STORE, IT WAS JUST A CONFECTIONARY. EVENTUALLY IT GREW INTO QUITE A BUSINESS… IN THOSE DAYS, IT WAS HORSE AND BUGGY, SO THEY HAD FIVE HORSES AND BUGGIES THAT WERE RUNNING, WORKING, AND MY UNCLE ALWAYS LOOKED AFTER THE HORSES AND MAINTAINED THEM. THEY’D GO AND THEY’D PICK UP THE ORDER. LOTS OF THE PEOPLE THEN COULDN’T SPEAK ENGLISH, BUT MY DAD COULD SPEAK CZECH, AND THEN THEY’D USUALLY SEND – HE HAD ALL KINDS OF NATIONALITIES WORKING FOR HIM - [A PERSON OF MATCHING ETHNICITY], THAT KNEW THEIR LANGUAGE TO PICK UP THE ORDER. THEY BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE STORE, AND THEN DELIVERED IT BACK TO THE CUSTOMER, THAT WAS REAL SERVICE IN THOSE DAYS, ESPECIALLY WITH HORSE AND BUGGY IN THOSE WINTRY DAYS, AFTER THAT IT DEVELOPED INTO TRUCKS. THERE WERE LOTS OF MINERS IN THOSE DAYS AND WERE GOOD CUSTOMERS… HE AT ONE TIME EMPLOYED THIRTY-SIX PEOPLE IN THE STORE THERE.” AN ARTICLE IN LETHBRIDGE HERALD PUBLISHED ON MAY 5, 2004 STATES THAT NICK SUPINA PURCHASED THE STORE FROM HIS FATHER, MIKE SUPINA, IN 1918. IN THE INTERVIEW, HORHOZER CONTINUED TO SPEAK ABOUT THE BEGINNING DAYS OF THE SUPINA’S STORE: “MY GRANDPA WAS WORKING IN THE MINE. I DON’T KNOW HOW IT CAME THAT HE HAD THIS LITTLE BUSINESS… IT’S MY DAD THEN THAT HAD TO LOOK AFTER THE FAMILY BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T HAVE ANY MONEY. THERE WAS FIVE BOYS SO HE HAD THEM ALL. THEY WERE ALL CLOSE TOGETHER IN AGE. THERE’S STEVE AND BILLY AND JOHN AND MIKE… UNCLE STEVE, IS THE SECOND, HE’S THE ONE THAT STAYED WITH MY DAD, AND JOHNNY DID TOO. THEN THE OTHER TWO PURSUED THEIR OWN BUSINESSES. BILLY HAD A BUSINESS IN RED DEER AND SMALL BUSINESSES IN TWO OTHER PLACES. THEN MIKE, HE WENT TO THE STATES AND—OH, THAT WAS GEORGE, PARDON ME. HE HAD A SHOE STORE WHICH WAS VERY, VERY SUCCESSFUL. MIKE WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WASN’T IN BUSINESS. THAT WAS BECAUSE HE WAS IN THE WAR…” THINKING BACK ON HER MEMORIES OF SUPINA’S, HORHOZER DESCRIBES, “[I]N THOSE DAYS YOU HAD GOOD FRUIT. I REMEMBER THE DELICIOUS PEACHES. I HAVEN’T SEEN A PEACH LIKE THAT SINCE… LOTS OF TIMES, THE FRUIT WOULD GO OVER-RIPE, LIKE YOUR APRICOTS AND PEACHES. MY MOTHER WOULD GO AND GET ALL THE OVER-RIPE FRUIT AND TAKE IT HOME AND MAKE BEAUTIFUL PIES AND TAKE THE PIES BACK TO THE STORE AND SELL THEM. SHE WAS A WONDERFUL BAKER. THEY DID EVERYTHING LIKE THAT TO HELP MAKE MORE MONEY. SOMETIMES MY DAD WOULD HAVE A SPECIAL ON, 3 CENTS A LOAF [OF BREAD. I HAD LOTS OF ADS FROM THE STORE, AND YOU’D GET SUCH A KICK OUT OF SEEING HAMBURGER, TWENTY-FIVE CENTS A POUND AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, YES I REMEMBER.” HORHOZER BEGAN WORKING AT THE STORE AT THE AGE OF 14: “I WORKED IN THE LADIESWEAR. I LIKED THAT VERY MUCH. THE MEAT DEPARTMENT WAS RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE LADIESWEAR. THAT’S KIND OF HOW I MET JOE. HE WORKED IN THE BUTCHER DEPARTMENT. I REMEMBER THE DAY HE WALKED IN THE STORE, I’LL NEVER FORGET [IT], HE HAD THIS RED CARDIGAN SWEATER ON AND I JUST FELL, HEAD OVER RIGHT THEN. HE WAS JUST STARTING WORK AND I THOUGHT, ‘WELL, THAT’S THE GUY I’M GOING TO MARRY.’” HORHOZER BELIEVED THAT AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE STORE’S SUCCESS WAS “… BECAUSE, [OF] THE SERVICE MAINLY. JUST THINK, GOING THERE, GETTING YOUR ORDERS, BRINGING THEM BACK, DOING THEM UP, THEY’D MAKE SURE THINGS WERE TOP QUALITY. THEY GOT TO KNOW EVERY CUSTOMER, OF COURSE, AND THEY KNEW WHAT THEY LIKED. HE HAD WONDERFUL PEOPLE WORKING FOR HIM. THEY JUST GAVE FANTASTIC SERVICE ALL THE TIME. PLUS, MY DAD WAS GRUFF, BUT HE WAS VERY, VERY KIND TO POOR PEOPLE THAT COULDN’T AFFORD –THERE’S LOTS THAT YEARS AFTER HE HAD PASSED AWAY [PEOPLE] WOULD COME UP TO ME AND SAY, ‘IF IT WASN’T FOR YOUR DAD, JOHNNY WOULDN’T HAVE HAD CHEESE,’ OR SOMETHING. I DIDN’T KNOW A THING ABOUT IT, BECAUSE HE WAS ONE THAT NEVER, EVER TOLD ANYBODY… THEN AT CHRISTMAS TIME HE WOULD GO TO THE STORE AND HE HAD A LIST OF EVERYBODY THAT HE KNEW WAS EXCEPTIONALLY POOR, AND HE WOULD FILL BASKETS. HE WOULD DO IT ALL BY HIMSELF… HE WOULDN’T TELL MY MOTHER AND I. HE WAS SO TIGHT-MOUTHED, FILL ALL THESE BASKETS AND DELIVER THEM TO THE PEOPLE HIMSELF WITHOUT TELLING A SOUL ABOUT IT. HE WAS THAT KIND OF PERSON. HE WAS VERY KIND THAT WAY.” SUPINA’S MERCANTILE SERVED LETHBRIDGE UNTIL IT CLOSED IN 1960. HORHOZER REMAINED IN RETAIL IN VARIOUS SHOPS IN THE CITY, INCLUDING THE DEPARTMENT STORE WOOLCO UNTIL HER RETIREMENT IN 1988. HORHOZER PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE IN 2016 AT THE AGE OF 88 YEARS OLD. PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT SUPINA’S MERCANTILE AND THE LIFE OF EVERAL AND HER FAMILY, WHICH INCLUDES THE FULL INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT AND LETHBRIDGE HERALD ARTICLES.

Catalogue Number

P20150016001

Acquisition Date

2015-05

Collection

Museum

Less detail