om & Eulalia McDaniel Family Business

Writing about a grocery store in downtown Sanger and the family who owned it highlights a significant chapter in the town's history. In Sanger's early days, there were nine operating grocers, including Bob King, Cockrills, Horst Brothers, and Seals, as well as Help Thyself/Gentle Grocery Tommy and Eulalia McDaniel purchased the Sullivan Undertaking building from the Sullivan estate and later acquired the adjacent parking area. They remodeled the building to house their store, which became the largest grocery business in town. Additionally, they bought a small business on the north end of the building that housed the Auto-Mat Laundry, which operated for a few years

Mr. and Mrs. T.W. McDaniel and their two sons were prominent figures in the Sanger community. They were civic-minded and operated successful businesses, including a grocery store and a chicken hatchery, which attracted farmers and children in the springtime for baby chicks.

Tommy met Eulalia while attending North Texas in Denton. Eulalia, from east Texas, was attending college in Denton. Her father was a country doctor in Clarksville, Texas, and she was a teacher before marrying Tommy on December 21, 1930

Their first grocery business was located in what is now the Sanger Chamber of Commerce. After moving, the Help Thyself Grocery, owned by Peggy Gentle, operated in that location and later became Gentle Grocery, run by Peggy and her son Bill until it closed The McDaniel Grocery changed locations several times, with its final location being the Sullivan Undertaking business that faced Fourth Street, across from the City park between Bolivar and Elm Streets.

In the early years, people visited grocery stores less frequently than today They bought large quantities of staples, like 50pound bags of flour A 10-pound bag of flour, known as a "gravy sack," was only enough to make gravy. Many families raised their own cattle and pigs and had large gardens. They made trips to town for staples, usually on Saturdays, to attend the famous Sanger drawing

Eulalia and Tommy closed their store in September 1980 after 52 years in business. The store fixtures and remaining stock were sold at auction Tommy had previously worked at a grocery owned by TH Averitt and later for his father when he opened a grocery business in downtown Sanger. Eulalia was very active in the Sanger community She served on the City council from 1969 to 1977, was a long-time member of the Wednesday Study Club, held various offices within the organization, was a member of the WMU, and was part of the First United Methodist Church of Sanger. She was born on June 14, 1911, and died in December 1981

The McDaniel’s Grocery, known as "Mac’s Super Market," was located on Fourth Street between Bolivar and Elm, facing the park. The store opened at 6:00 a.m. when bread and milk deliveries arrived and closed at midnight on Saturdays when the old rodeo was in full swing downtown, located on Bolivar between Second and Third Streets

The McDaniel children were very involved in school activities. Both were members of FFA, with Tommy Jr. continuing his involvement as an adult and serving as the County Agent in Quitman in 1967. Danny was a popular student and received a Lonestar Farmer degree at the annual FFA convention in San Antonio in July 1964. He attended Texas A&M University, became the director of support services at the Denton State School as an irrigation technician, worked as a process engineer at Boeing Aerospace, and retired from senior care centers in Denton. Danny was an avid golfer from a young age and continued this interest into adulthood. He passed away on April 19, 2024.

An interesting story about Mac’s Super Market in the '60s was shared by a man who visited the Sanger Area Historical Society Museum. As a teenager, he worked for Tommy McDaniel after school and on weekends. Sam Riggs, the butcher at Mac’s and husband of Marguerite Riggs, a third-grade teacher at Sanger Elementary, taught him the art of butchering One day, Sam took a week off and left the young man in charge When Dave Fellers, a well-known one-armed man who owned a local restaurant, came in needing chickens cut up, the young man was unsure of his skills. Dave took over and expertly cut the chickens using his shoulder on the side of his missing arm.

The McDaniels also owned a chicken hatchery, a vital business in Sanger in the 1940s and 50s Farmers and residents with backyard chicken yards bought baby chicks from the hatchery, especially around Easter. The hatchery was located between Bolivar and Elm Streets on the west side of 3rd Street, near the old post office behind the First National Bank.

Many remember Tommy Sr calling for his sons across the store, often yelling, "Danny Maaaaccccc " He was a big man with a booming voice, and his call was memorable for those who visited the store. Mac’s always had the latest candy, drawing young people on Saturdays after receiving their allowances. The store had stacks of flour bags bound with material that women used to make clothes for their families.

The building that housed Mac’s Super Market still stands today It was recently refurbished, and a new Mexican restaurant will soon operate out of this historic building