Maricopa Mercantile no more

The day finally arrived for the Maricopa Mercantile.

Early Tuesday morning, crews began dismantling the building that has stood in town since the 1930s. The building at Honeycutt Road and John Wayne Parkway was torn down to allow for the widening of Honeycutt, which will include a right turn lane onto SR 347.

City Council awarded a contract to Arizona Discount Demolition back in June in the amount of $31,500 to raze the building and remove all construction debris from the site.

The building was originally owned by the Brown family. In 1952, it was sold to William Jay and Golden Baldock. The Baldock family operated the store for a number of decades. The city purchased the site in 2006 with the intent to demolish it, following a lengthy negotiation.

The Mercantile had been a fixture in town for decades and was also the site of some celebrity visits now and then. Actor John Wayne was an occasional visitor to the store to purchase cigarettes, while actress Amanda Blake (Gunsmoke) also shopped there.

Maricopa resident Patricia Brock has fond memories of the building that is no more.

“I remember as a little girl walking to the Maricopa Mercantile and buying penny candy and how everyone was so friendly and helpful,” Brock said. “They always remembered your name and asked about your family. As an adult, I remember how Jay and Golden (Baldock) always knew what you bought and how you liked your meat cut and wrapped. If they didn’t have what you wanted, they would soon have it on the self for you and kept a steady supply of it in the future.”

Brock said she remembers how the Maricopa Community Swimming Pool depended upon Jay for petty cash to keep the pool in operation for the little kids during the long and hot summer months. “I remember how long and hard the whole family worked to make a success of the store and to serve the people of Maricopa,” Brock said. “And I remember, too, when someone broke into their store taking money and whatever else they could carry out.”

Another memory for Brock is how the Baldocks and Kelloggs pulled together to help everyone during the great flood of ’83.

“People south of the tracks were evacuated from their homes and taken to Ak-Chin via the Volunteer Fire Department,” Brock said. “The Community Center at Ak-Chin took these cold and wet people in, brought them blankets and food. The Kelloggs and Baldocks spent the night bailing water out of their store, and the following morning cooking and delivering food to the people who were badly affected by the flood. The following week found this same family digging out water and mud from homes all over Maricopa …just trying to create some sense of normalcy in their lives.

“As we drove through Maricopa yesterday (Monday), Harry and I smiled because the old Maricopa Mercantile was still standing,” Brock added.

Now, all that is left of the building are the memories.

Editor’s note: inmaricopa.com The Magazine writer Joe Giumette contributed some information to this story. Click here to read a story on Maricopa Mercantile’s history published in the March/April issue of the magazine.

Photos by Dave Thomas