Michael J. Cullen
Michael J. Cullen invented the modern supermarket.
Born of Irish immigrant parents in 1884, Michael J. Cullen learned about the grocery business during his early years of employment. At 18 he worked as a clerk for the Atlantic & Pacific Co., moving on to general sales manager at Mutual Grocery and Kroger Stores.
While working at Kroger, at the time a chain of small grocery stores, he developed the idea of a supermarket. He wrote a letter to the president of Kroger, describing his idea, but his letter went unanswered. Undaunted, and confident in his ability to see his idea become a reality, he quit his job and moved his family to Long Island.
It was there that Cullen leased a vacant garage on Jamaica Avenue in Queens, just a few blocks from a busy shopping district, and on August 4th, 1930 opened the doors to America's first supermarket, King Kullen Grocery Company.
Success was instantaneous. People came from miles around. To the public, King Kullen was more than a convenience - King Kullen meant affordable food and gained recognition as the "World's Greatest Price Wrecker." By 1936 there were 17 King Kullen supermarkets doing approximately $6,000,000 annually.
Although Michael Cullen died suddenly, just 6 years after opening his first store, King Kullen continued to grow and expand through the leadership of his wife and the support of family members.
