Images(5)

Manikin, Display

Object number2019.40.8

Manufacturer The Hen House Incoporated (founded 1980)

Date1980-2019

MediumFake fur; Polyester; Plastic; Wood; Fabric

Credit LineGiven in honor of the McGinnis Family

DescriptionStanding stuffed brown bear display figure. Brown fake fur with polyester fill. Arms move at shoulder and bend along entire length; current position is proper left arm bent and proper right arm straight. Brown and black eyes and black nose. Seams down front and back of body and front and back of each leg. Mounted on flat rectangular wooden base with tiered top edge.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 56 × 24.5 × 19.5 in. (142.2 × 62.2 × 49.5 cm)
MarksBlack fabric maker tag sewn to back of proper left foot has gold printed text and decoration: one side has image of a hen with text below "THE / HEN HOUSE / INCORPORATED / EST. 1980" and other side has text "Surface Clean - AIR DRY ONLY / All New Material / POLYESTER FILL / Reg. No. 12885 (OH) 12137 (PA)".
Historical NotesThe bear was used as a friendly prop in the McGinnis stores, a photo-op for children that was often decorated to fit with the holiday seasons, for example, a Santa hat at Christmas. Part of the McGinnis Family Food Stores collection that encompasses materials related to the operation of a chain of family-run food markets that started in Pittsburgh’s South Hills Baldwin neighborhood in 1946. The first McGinnis market (variously referred to as “McGinnis Supermarket” or “McGinnis Food Market”) was started by family patriarch James Elwood McGinnis when he could not find a job after WWII. Beginning with a fruit cart, he eventually opened a grocery and deli at 2872 Custer Avenue in Baldwin that proved so successful it expanded to multiple stores, including one in Carrick/Castle Shannon and later Monroeville. The stores were operated by different family members. In 1985, three McGinnis sisters – Sharon McGinnis Young, Bonnie McGinnis Vello, and Noreen McGinnis Campbell – assumed operation of the main set of McGinnis Stores, rebranding them “McGinnis Sisters” markets. (Two brothers split off and started other stores not considered part of the chain.) With the three women serving as active spokespersons, the stores garnered more media attention during this period. For most of its operation, the chain was largely connected with stores that operated in the South Hills and Monroeville. Between 2008 and 2017, a McGinnis Sisters market also operated north of Pittsburgh in a shopping center in Adams Township/Mars, Pennsylvania. A series of events between 2017 and 2019 eventually brought about the closure of the chain. Objects in the collection were gathered from throughout the stores and consolidated at the final property, the McGinnis Sisters Special Food Store at 3825 Saw Mill Run Boulevard.

Previous owner McGinnis Family Food Stores (1946 - 2019)

Related person James Elwood McGinnis

Related person Sharon McGinnis Young

Related person Bonnie McGinnis Vello

Related person Noreen McGinnis Campbell

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