ped’-dler: a. One who peddles. b. One who offers merchandise (as fresh produce) for sale along the street or door to door. c. One who deals or promotes something intangible. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
Papa, Isaac Martin Presley, was born 13 August 1888 to Amos Richard Presley and Martha Jane (Linton) Presley in Spencer County, Kentucky. Papa’s mother died when he was three years old, and his father remarried and they moved to the Ohio River Valley area -- Utica, Indiana; Jeffersonville, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky.
Papa’s father peddled fruits and vegetables from door to door by horse and wagon on the residential streets in Louisville, Kentucky. Papa followed his father’s footsteps to Louisville’s Hay Market at 3:00-3:30 each morning to purchase the produce that he felt would be the best sell of the day. After Papa was grown and married to Ollie May Poston, Papa saved his money and purchased a Rio truck and continued the trade as peddler from the early 1900s through mid to late 1940s.
Some days Papa would purchase a variety of fruits and vegetables and some days he might purchase only one or maybe two vegetables to take to the streets for sale. He said he never knew what the day’s purchase would be until he got to the Hay Market and looked around. He knew the people and the city well as to what they would buy. When he got some vegetables he knew not to go to some areas of the city, but knew which area would purchase that particular produce. However, he mainly peddled in the Camp Taylor area of Louisville.
One day, he had a load of fresh corn. He went down a certain street, a lady came out to the truck and priced the corn as she wanted corn to can. After pricing the corn to the lady, the lady did not want the corn as she said she wanted better quality and that was to cheap. He drove on down the street. In a couple of hours he still had the corn on the truck and he told his helper, “I’m going back and sell this corn to that lady who wanted better quality.” Upon return to the lady’s house, he said, “I think I have the quality of corn you want now.” She asked the price; Papa doubled the price he quoted earlier. The lady said, “That’s what I want”; and she bought all he had on the truck.
One day just before Christmas, Papa bought a load of baby dolls on the Hay Market. He took them to the street and sold the entire load by 8:30 that morning. Then, he went back and bought another load of produce to sell.
Another time, he bought a load of over-ripe strawberries. He felt they would not keep when the morning sun came up hot; so, he took them to a canning factory where they made preserves, jellies and jams. He sold these over-ripe strawberries for a very good price. Papa said he had made enough money for the day; and he went home to be with his family on Atwood Street.
One time Papa bought a load of coffee to peddle. He sold the coffee door to door. Then, he drove by Uncle Press Polston’s grocery store; Uncle Press said he would purchase the rest of the coffee on the truck to put in his grocery store. Later, Uncle Press told Papa that he could not sell the coffee until the customers had used all the coffee they had purchased earlier from Papa.
Papa’s day always began about 3:00-3:30 each morning and he finished his day’s work by noon most days due to the lack of refrigeration and quick spoilage. Papa enjoyed the work as a peddler and providing for his family -- wife and eleven children. After World War II in the mid to late 1940s, buying trends began to change. Grocery chains came into existence and money became more plentiful and people changed their buying habits. So Papa retired from peddling produce to a small farm out in the country where he lived until his death 02 November 1972.
Author: Edith Bastin
© Copyright: 1998. All Rights Reserved.
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