720 N.E. 21st Street
720 is a delightful sandstone and buff-brown brick combination. There is a central polygon-shaped "tower" at the entrance with leaded glass window over on the door. Some stucco and half timbering is on the second story. This house has two huge cedar trees and is well landscaped.
Mrs. Margaret Glyn 1933-35
Sylvan Goldman 1935-44
John Dudley 1944-51
Ralph Cook 1951-63
Jack Strain 1963 -
Certainly one of the best known names in Oklahoma grocers annals (and in Oklahoma history) is "Syl" Goldman, a gentleman who attained phenomenal success in his chosen field of retail markets. He started a chain retail grocery business in Tulsa in 1925. He sold out his fifty stores to a national chain in 1929 and came to Oklahoma City, where he opened the Standard Food markets in 1930. Five years later, he acquired the Humpty Dumpty Supermarkets.
Further manifestations of Goldman's business acumen were shown in his origination of the grocery shopping cart. Anxious to find a way to get customers to buy more groceries each time they came to the store, he realized that the biggest limitation was the amount a customer could easily carry. If the customer were relieved of the burden of carrying the groceries as he shopped, he could buy more. Looking at a wooden folding chair, he got a flash of inspiration. Put a basket on a chair-like structure. Add wheels, and you have a shopping cart! In 1936, he started the Folding Carrier Corporation in Oklahoma City for the manufacture of these shopping baskets which ended up in world-wide distribution. It is difficult today to fathom grocery stores functioning without them. Goldman received a patent in 1938 for the shopping cart.
Goldman was active in civic affairs -- a member of the board of the United Fund, Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, American Cancer Society and the Symphony Society.
Mr. Dudley was a lawyer and judge.
Mr. Cook was a jeweler in the Hightower Building.
Mr. Strain was a professor of government at Central State University. Mrs. Strain was a noted music teacher and was president of the State Music Society.