1999 and donated it to the Downtown Development District in 2014. Officials hope to use the building as a new Donaldsonville General Store and Museum. The building that occupied the Sam Mistretta Store on Railroad Avenue dates to the 1850s – some sites say 1860s – when it served as an infirmary during the Civil War. It was one of the last seven buildings standing after Admiral David T. Farragut's assault on Donaldsonville in that war. It later operated as a saloon and a bordello, but it later became a far more familyoriented establishment. Mistretta began his family grocery business in 1944. He used the first floor as a grocery store and the upper level as a home – a common setup among local grocers in the first half of the 20th century. The store closed in the early to mid 1970s. The store operated in an era when Donaldsonville was a major hub of commerce along the west bank of the Mississippi River. It was a time when agriculture – particularly the sugar industry – reigned supreme and local entrepreneurs were in strong abundance. "In those days, they had seven car dealerships in Donaldsonville alone," said Carl Capone, chairman of the Donaldsonville Area Foundation. The Mistretta Store had been a fixture of a downtown area that resembled classic "Main Street America" for decades. It was adjacent to a Ben Franklin 5&10 store, the Grand Theater (a movie house that closed in the 1980s), a Sears catalog store, Lehmann Department Store, and a fullservice Texaco station. "This entire project is about preserving what we had in the days of Main Street America in Louisiana," said Lee Melancon, who heads the Donaldsonville Main Street Program. For Capone and Mayor Leroy Sullivan, the building holds a hearth of memories. "I still remember all the people walking to this store to get their groceries," Sullivan said. "Remember, this was
An artist’s rendition shows plans for the Mistretta Store once it is converted into a downtown museum.
a day when very few people had two cars – and some did not have one car – so they'd either walk here or they'd have a boy on a bicycle deliver it to them and put it on a charge account." Capone looked toward panel-board walls of the empty building, which brought him memories of his childhood. It was a time when kids could ride their bike or walk to a corner store without any worry of their safety. "We'd go in there, buy ourselves a candy and bottle of soda pop and just sit at the corner as cars drove by," Capone said. "Those were such simpler times." The business had a display of its fresh produce in the storefront window. A few small aisles had the canned goods and other items, while a white porcelain cooler stored the fresh meats. A long wooden counter halfway through the building served as the checkout area. A stairwell in the back area led to the residence for Mistretta and his family. The building has sat dark
and desolate since the store ceased operation. The museum would include exhibits already housed in the building. Those exhibits focus on the preservation of Italian culture and society in Donaldsonville, "Sons of Southern Sugar," and the impact of the Jewish community in Donaldsonville. It will also feature two "Forever" exhibits – one on Folse, the other on Melancon. It will take at least $120,000 to refurbish the facility before
the city can put it into use again, Melancon said. The work will include new electrical wiring, plumbing and an HVAC system. No time frame is set for completion of the work. "We have to have the money first to make it happen," Melancon said. "This will be a grass-roots effort." – C–
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