08/31/2026
The north end of Beaver Falls had a business section all its own. There were several grocery stores and meat markets and other businesses in an area that extended from about 22nd to 26th streets and from Seventh to 10th avenues.
In fact there was an organization called the North End Business Men's Association that was one of the most powerful merchant groups, not only in the city but in the upper valley.
Pictured below is the gas station owned by Grover Schuster at 24th Street between Eighth and Ninth avenues. The photograph was taken in the mid-'20s. Schuster went into the gas business shortly after World War I. He was a veteran of the war and had a family history of business, especially in groceries and meats.
In the photo is Frank Laird, Schuster's brother-in-law, pumping gas while Schuster, in a white shirt, stands under the gas pump canopy. Gas stations dealt in all auto accessories including tires - in this case Tiger Foot tires which cost $6.95 each.
The little white building to the right of the main store was a restroom. The white building adjacent to it was for supplies including oil and kerosene. Later, garages were added that obscured the home on the right.
Schuster also operated a grocery store and meat market in a building on the corner of the above site. When Jackson Hardware on Eighth Avenue went out of business, Schuster began selling hardware at the request of his customers.
At age 65, he closed his business. He died at age 87 in 1979.
