Framing memories since 1963
March 26, 2013
100 years of freshness marks butcher shop
March 26, 2013
Gustave Lapeyrouse saw the need for a full-time grocery store in Chauvin in 1914 – 99 years ago.
There was no paved road, only pastureland and sugar cane fields. Customers arrived by boat.
Three generations later, great-grandson Cecil is keeping the family business going.
“Growing up, there was more to do here,” Cecil Lapeyrouse said. “We had more families living here, and you would see them coming and going at the store.”
But south Louisiana’s eroding coastline is taking its toll on Chauvin. The pasture and sugar fields are gone, replaced by saltwater intrusion. “We used to crawfish across the street,” Cecil said, “now, they are shrimping.”
Saltwater has changed everything.
“Lots of people lived and worked down here when (the grocery store) opened,” Cecil said. Today, there are only about 30 permanent residents in the area, he estimates.
Despite all the changes, though, Cecil and Etta Lapeyrouse have adapted – a necessity in the family business.
Admittedly, in 1914, life was different for great-grandfather Gustave. Construction on the store likely began in 1912 and was a grueling chore in itself, according to Cecil.
“You couldn’t just get on the phone and order building materials,” he said, noting that even lumber to build the store had to be transported via boat.
Even in 1914, diversity was key to the Lapeyrouse family’s success. Gustave ran an oyster shucking house and shrimp drying stand next to the grocery. The addition was ideal for the region.
Eventually, the shucking house and stand were phased out and emphasis shifted to running the grocery store. And, somewhere along the way, the building geographically flip-flopped. The back of the store became the operation’s front and the longtime front reversed places.
“I don’t know what year it was swapped around,” Cecil said. “Maybe the year the gravel road that is now La. Highway 57 was done.
“The first road down here was actually (located) between the back of the store and the bayou,” he said. “Horses were used to pull things on the bayou. The paths that the horses used became the first road to the area.”
Another shift, Lapeyrouse Grocery has seen its clientele base significantly change. Local faces are fewer, but seasonal traffic has grown since Cecil and Etta took the helm in 1987 after Chester Lapeyrouse’s death. Chester was Gustave’s son and Cecil’s father.
“Over the last 40 years, the ratio of permanent residents compared to seasonal residents has changed,” Cecil said. “We serve a 10-mile stretch from Boudreaux Canal to Cocodrie. Fewer than three-dozen folks call that 10-mile stretch home.”
But weekend fishing traffic keeps the couple busy. Fuel, bait, ice, beer and snacks are the biggest sellers.
“If the weather is bad on the weekend, it might as well be a Monday or a Tuesday,” Cecil said of the store’s trade. “Weather has a big effect on traffic through here.
“We couldn’t stay open on just local (customers) or just our seasonal visitors,” he added. “Everybody keeps us going.”
Lapeyrouse’s is a staple in the area: open daily from 4:30 a.m. until dark – every day but Christmas, that is.
It’s expected, just like the store’s offerings: the usual grocery fare – beer, chips, canned goods, bread and sandwich fixings, as well as the not-so-typical nuts and bolts and automotive and marine oils and lubricants.
“Dad had more marine supplies when he ran the store, but, other than that, not much has changed,” Cecil admits. The couple did add a porch area for customers to sit and enjoy. Inside, however, little has changed.
“We have all the original counters, and the thick walls are made of concrete and oyster shells,” he said. “Even though the building is elevated, it had water in it – over the counters – in (the great Louisiana flood of) 1926.”
A new antique touch – Etta’s collections – includes pots, pans, kitchen utensils, bottles and dishes of all types. Mind you, the vintage stuff is not for sale.
“Not many of them are original to the store,” Cecil explained. “When (Etta) started collecting things – stuff other people considered junk – visitors would stop in here to see (her antiques). Then they started telling others to come down here and see all the ‘junk.’ Lots of her things are items that are disappearing (from everyday life); things people haven’t seen in years.”
Among Etta’s favorite is an old wooden butcher shop display case.
“I got it from a furniture store in Boutte,” Etta said. “They would lay blocks of ice at the top to keep (meats) fresh.”
With 99 years and three generations tied up in the store, the Lapeyrouses have no plans to leave anytime soon, come hell or more saltwater.
“We’ve got seven grandkids, and they love the place,” Etta said. “It’s hard to keep a store like this open, but we work hard to make it happen.”
Cecil Lapeyrouse Grocery in Chauvin has been open since 1914. Cecil’s grandfather Gustave opened the business which has evolved from serving more permanent residents to catering to a more seasonal crowd. The grocery store is also home to Cecil’s wife’s antique collection.
