Brown’s Regal Market Lives On in Franklin’s Heart
Three East Monroe Street in Franklin, for many longtime residents, is a time capsule in our minds — even though the building perished in a fire on June 29, 1996. Brown’s Regal Market remains fixed in our memories of a bygone day when the courthouse square held a full-service grocery store.
Known for its personal service and fresh meat counter, Brown’s Market served the community from 1947, when Kenneth and Pearl Brown founded it, until the time of the fire in 1996, when Joe and Barbara Dobbs were owners.
The Browns and Dobbs families merged as partners in 1964, with Dobbs becoming full owner in 1970. Known as the “Colonial Bread Man,” Dobbs delivered bread to the market and was offered the partnership. When Dobbs took full ownership, he kept the name Brown’s Regal Market, explaining that people knew it by name and reputation, and he wasn’t going to change that. Dobbs’ son, Tim, joined his father in business and said that to this day, people still call him “Mr. Brown” at times.
The building itself had quite a history. Built in 1895, it held a variety of businesses through the years — a fire department, opera house, silent movie theater, Buick dealership and city hall all occupied the space at one point. But without a doubt, the grocery store and the people who ran it left a lasting impact so great that even today, the mention of Brown’s evokes memories of the green-tiled floor, a meat counter that stretched the width of the back wall, a secret recipe ham salad made daily, and an owner who had a heart of gold.
Joe and Barbara Dobbs are no longer alive, but two of their children, Tim Dobbs and Julie Stainbrook, offered valuable insight into why the beloved store still holds wonderful memories for those who shopped there.
Tim said he witnessed more than once his dad chatting with a customer, then reaching into his wallet and handing the person $20 or $40 “just because.” One story he told recalled a time when his father caught a man shoplifting luncheon meat. Joe ushered the man back to his office and, after a time, told him to take a cart and fill it with groceries. The man did so, returning to Joe and saying, “Joe, I’m ready.” Tim said he watched his father walk the man to the register, personally ring up his groceries, sack them, shake his hand and help him load up his items. When Tim asked his father why he gave groceries to someone stealing from him, his dad replied, “The guy just needed to feed his family.”
For years, the market was open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “Dad loved his Arvin employee business,” Tim says. Joe devoted much of his life within the market walls. Tim said his father always told him, “If you aren’t here — present at work — then people will think you’re making too much money.” Julie described her father as “the most generous person in the world until you take advantage of him.”
In a time when people paid with cash or checks, it was common to see bad checks taped to the wall near the checkout lane — a practice common in other businesses then but almost unbelievable today.
The quaint small-town grocery store offered many perks missing from today’s supermarkets. Brown’s had a meat counter where Harvey Sharp cut locally sourced meat and wrapped it in white paper to order. A wide array of luncheon meats and cheeses were on display and sliced to the customer’s preferred thickness.
Their famous ham salad was crafted using a 50-pound recipe that remains a family secret. Mr. Dobbs was particular about his produce, hand-picking and wrapping each item himself.
A favorite of shoppers was the Brach’s Candy Shop display, where bins of individually wrapped butterscotch discs, cinnamon discs, caramels and jelly nougats could be mixed and matched and sold by the pound. The store also stocked Sap’s Glazed Yeast Donuts from the Columbus, Indiana, factory and fresh eggs from Greenwood’s Walker Eggs.
Franklin resident Susie Stocklin worked there, manning one of the two cash registers for 10 years. She said she has many fond memories from her time employed there, especially the family atmosphere and meeting so many people.
Today’s generation of shoppers use personal shoppers at big grocery stores, but Stocklin remembers when Joe would deliver groceries on Fridays and his wife, Barbara, would take orders on the telephone. She and other employees often helped fill each order. The market was ahead of its time.
In 1978, when the blizzard hit, Joe and Barbara were wintering in Florida. Tim was staying at his parents’ house, watching his younger siblings while serving as assistant store manager. The storm hit hard and fast, but he managed to make it to the store in his Jeep. They did brisk business — within 36 hours, they had run out of everything, with no deliveries possible. Patrons arrived on tractors and snowmobiles, and Tim also had to deal with frozen pipes.
The building was destroyed in 1996 when an electrical fire started in the back room of the grocery. Thankfully, no one was injured. The fire happened on a Saturday, and an on-call electrician had to shut off the electricity before firefighters could go in. The blaze is still talked about around town today. People gathered on the courthouse lawn to watch as an iconic building and establishment literally went up in flames.
Most of the meat-cutting equipment was saved, and Julie’s husband, Kevin, still uses it to butcher his hunted game. The store safe was carried out by Tim’s daughter, Erin.
At the time of the devastating fire, Joe was 64 years old. Big stores like Cub Foods were infiltrating the area, and he decided to slow down and operate at a smaller pace with Joe’s Convenience Store on Hurricane Street — marking the end of Brown’s Regal Market.
But while the building is gone, replaced by Carpenter Realtors, the authenticity and nostalgia of a charming small-town grocery store in downtown Franklin remain in the hearts and minds of many residents.
