Preparing to Build Rolling Grocery Store

Originally Aired: August 12, 1935

In Lum & Abner #171, "Preparing to Build Rolling Grocery Store," Lum and Abner forge ahead with their ambitious new business venture after losing their beloved Jot 'Em Down Store to Snake Hogan. Unable to raise the money to buy back their original establishment, the partners devise an innovative solution: they'll build a complete general store on the chassis of Abner's twelve-cylinder automobile, creating Pine Ridge's first rolling grocery that will make house-to-house calls. Lum arrives at Abner's home with exciting news that he's struck a deal with Caleb Weehunt to construct the mobile store by trading away the sedan body for the new storefront structure.

As the partners review Caleb's blueprints, the practical challenges of their unconventional enterprise become apparent. Abner struggles to understand the plans, raising concerns about rain protection and questioning why customers must enter through the back door. Lum explains the layout will mirror their old store, complete with shelves, a refrigerator, and even a peaked roof with shingles and a stove pipe. With three hundred and fifty dollars to stock their merchandise, the optimistic duo believes they've stumbled upon the best business idea yet.