In Days Gone By: Charles and Adda Bienz and the Bienz Confectionery – Part 2

Part 1 of the history of the Bienz family and Bienz Confectionery can be read here.

The early 1940s – Impact of World War II

From 1939-41, Bienz Confectionery was achieving new success as the worst years of the Great Depression waned. Charles often said, “Where else can you get a Coke for a nickel?” The store continued to be a community favorite.

With the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, and the United States’ entrance into World War Il, Edmonds entered a period of transition to support the war effort.

During the first six months of 1942, Charles volunteered as one of the watch tower captains who ensured that people were looking around the clock for aircraft and submarines from the watch towers positioned near the waterfront.

After the U.S. Navy’s recruitment campaign in Edmonds in July 1942, Charles – then 43 – enlisted. According to Bienz family history, Charles had to go on a diet of mainly celery and other low-calorie vegetables to pass the physical. Once that was accomplished, he served as a Seaman 1C on the USS U.S. Grant and was later stationed at Pier 91 in Seattle, where he earned the rank of Storekeeper 1C.

Author’s note: Storekeeper 1C was a rank that was discontinued in 2009. During WWII, it was equivalent to a Petty Officer 1C (first class) who was responsible for logistics and supplies. Today, the same rank is known as a Logistical Specialist with a pay grade of E-6.

The Navy transport ship USS U.S. Grant (AP-33) served primarily in the Pacific Theater and the Caribbean during WWII. It moved troops and supplies from San Francisco to Hawaii, the Southwest Pacific (like Guam, Philippines) and later to the Pacific islands like Okinawa, earning one battle star before being decommissioned in early 1945. Originally, it was a U.S. Army vessel that was later commissioned by the Navy for war duties, shuttling personnel and cargo across vast ocean distances.

In Charles’ absence, Adda took full responsibility for the store’s operations. Her mother continued to help raise the two girls, who were 15 and 11. A copy of the confectionery’s stationery (below) during that period provides insights into their product offerings.

Author’s note: Confectioneries at the time sold tobacco-based products as well as candy and nuts. Also, note the phone number of 171 which provides some insight into the size of the town and sophistication of the telephone system at the time.

During the war years, one of the store’s previous challenges was greatly minimized. Long-term parking near the store had continued to be an issue, but with gas rationing, there were few cars on the road. Several old-time customers stated that as kids they were able to ride their bicycles or walk down the middle of the street to the confectionery without concern for automobile traffic.

Tragedy strikes the Bienz family after WWII

Charles returned home several months before Japan officially surrendered in September 1945. Sadly, soon after, tragedy struck. Charles suffered a massive stroke, leaving him paralyzed on his left side. The family had to adjust as Adda not only ran the confectionery but helped tend to Charles’ multiple needs while at home.  

To assist with Charles’ recovery and mental state, Adda and Charles had a new home built on 9th Avenue and Alder Street, which provided a sweeping view of Puget Sound and the daily water traffic. This proved to be therapeutic for Charles.

Although Charles was unable to return to work, he and Adda welcomed the arrival of grandchildren and celebrated their silver anniversary in the following years. Charles died of a heart attack while at home on June 6, 1954.

The Bienz Confectionery continues 1946-64

Despite Charles’ condition and subsequent death, Adda continued to maintain the store and community loyalty.

Jill Kingdon Demaray echoed the sentiments of many of the people I spoke with that frequented the confectionery during this period.

“Going to Bienz’s is one of my favorite childhood memories. My grandpa would drive all five of us down there in his 1941 Chevy or we would walk from our house along Main Street which was lined with cherry trees along the sidewalk all the way to downtown, bursting with cherry blossoms…and our favorite order was a cherry coke from the soda fountain!  We grew up with Charles and Adda’s grandkids.”

Karen Specht Crump recalled, “In the ‘50s we lived on Sixth and Dayton. My friend Holly, who was Adda’s granddaughter (daughter of Patsy), lived across the street. As kids we would go into Bienz’s ice cream fountain, I remember sitting at the long counter, Mrs. Bienz behind it fixing the green river sodas that we would drink, and then we would buy penny candy.”

Green River soda was a bright green, lime-flavored soft drink, made in Chicago and available in bottles or at soda fountains.

Ted Neff, Adda’s grandson (and son of Adda’s daughter Beverly) recalled, “I would take my elementary school report card in and get a chocolate milkshake for good grades.”

In summer 1949, former Edmonds Mayor Fred Fourtner purchased the buildings on the northwest corner of 5th Avenue and Main Street from Mrs. S.J. Mothershead, who had been Adda and Charles’ landlady for the past 21 years.

Fourtner promised not to make any changes to the property until 1955. At that time, he tore down the familiar wooden buildings with their false second-story fronts that had been built in 1904, and erected new cement block buildings on the property.

Bienz Confectionery closed for the first extended time in 27 years during the construction period. Adda later said that she had stored the antique store furnishings in her basement, garage and at Edmonds-Alderwood Auto Freight’s warehouse.

At the time of the grand reopening in August, the confectionery was in the same location, but McGinness Pharmacy had replaced the Hubbard Insurance and Real Estate Company on the corner.

Adda had reinstalled the soda fountain’s countertops, seats and huge solid oak cabinet with antique mirrors from the old store while expanding the booth space and broadening the store’s offerings.

Clinton Wright had these fond memories of the new store:

“Having arrived on the scene here in 1960 as a young teenager, I got to study at the Carnegie Library (now town museum), cut driftwood on the beach and go clamming at what is now Marina Beach, swim off the float at the ferry dock, and have cherry cokes at Bienz.

“I remember going there often for sodas as they had a fountain and a first-class magazine stand that Mrs. Bienz would ‘shoo’ you away from if you lingered there too long in her view. I remember one little kid who was always hanging out there and her telling him to go home.”

For the next nine years, Bienz confectionery remained a “favorite” in downtown Edmonds, continuing to serve ice cream sodas over a marble topped counter to crowds of appreciative customers.

The decision to close:

In September 1964, Adda decided to retire. At the time of the confectionery’s closure, it was the oldest business in Edmonds in terms of continuous operation under a single ownership in the original site.  

After discussing the fact that she had been scooping up ice cream for 36 years and making sodas the old-fashioned way – with genuine ice cream rather than a mix for ice cream that was packed in a carton – Adda had the following observations:

“The business is changing, like all kinds of business. You have to keep up with the changes to stay competitive, and I realize that the way I have been doing it, [it] takes more time.”

But when customers were interviewed, they said that was one of the charms that made Bienz a popular hangout for young and old.

Adda said, “The store hasn’t tried to operate just on the principle of doing things ‘the good old way.’ We were the first place in Edmonds to stock frozen foods. The store has been more than just an ice cream fountain – we have stocked  groceries, school supplies, candy and a magazine counter along with other sundries.”

Adda said she loved the kids, and that she was going to miss them the most. A reporter then asked, “You hear so much about kids these days. Any problems?”

Adda reflected on a couple generations of kids and said, “Well, children are more outgoing these days, more free to express opinions. I don’t think they’ve really changed so much in what they do, but they used to cover up more. I think we have gained in not pressing down our children as we used to, but I think a great many more youngsters show the need of firmer discipline these days than used to be the case. When they are disciplined, they’ll accept what they feel is fair – but if they don’t feel that way, they will fight back.

“I’ve never had a youngster openly defy me” she added. There were several times when Adda had asked a boy to leave after using profanity or getting unruly, and they left.

“After all, I was raised with brothers,” Adda chuckled, “and they know that if they don’t leave, I’m apt to smack them one. But I never had to.”

“What is especially significant is seeing all the youngsters grow up and then come back year after year and sharing their lives. They have become a part of my life.”

Many of the men and women who were later to become prominent figures in Edmonds city government, education and business were once patrons or employees of Bienz. Former Mayor Sproule McGinness worked there. The then-current Mayor Gordon Maxwell and famed educator Frances Anderson, who had retired in 1959, were frequent customers.

Adda lastly commented that she felt 36 years was long enough to be in one business. “We shouldn’t stay in a rut too long, and after 36 years I thought I had better look for a new rut.”

In reflection: When Charles and Adda first arrived in Edmonds, the town’s economy was primarily dependent upon shingle mills for its existence, and its earliest citizens often bounced from one occupation to another.

Charles and Adda were no exceptions. Charles began as a truck driver for an oil company. Adda was a schoolteacher. Upon marriage, Adda was no longer allowed to teach due to marriage bar laws at the time. But together, they acquired a mildly successful business, which under their guidance, became a mainstay in downtown Edmonds for 36 years.  

Simultaneously, Charles became Edmonds city attorney for eight years, apparently based upon his business acumen. Meanwhile, Adda helped manage the store and raised two young daughters with assistance from her mother.

Throughout the Great Depression, WWII and the personal tragedy of Charles’ stroke and subsequent death, Charles and Adda remained steadfast in their goals to provide quality service to their clientele while having well-understood rules in place.

Their consistency made Bienz Confectionery a true favorite place to congregate for more than three decades.

Author’s final notes: Adda didn’t retire after closing the confectionery. She went to work for Edmonds Variety Store, a short distance from where she had always worked. She was also active in the Eastern Star, American Legion Auxiliary and South Snohomish Historical Society.

Adda remained in the family home until a few months before her death at age 83 in 1986. Charles and Adda are buried next to each other in the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery.

Credit goes to Ted Neff and Bienz family members for their assistance in researching their family’s history. Additional credits go to the Edmonds Historical Museum, Sno-Isle Genealogical Society, Georgia Historical Society, Tennessee Historical Society, the Chicago Museum of History and Cliff at the Edmonds Memorial Cemetery for their assistance.