March 1965 – The end of an era on Marco Island

The photo from March 1965 shows the G&G Mercantile Store on Marco Island being demolished.

The store owners, Robert and Elva Griffis, operated the store from 1936 to July 1964. The general store was originally established by Captain W. D. “Bill” Collier in 1907, it was bought and re-named by the Griffis in 1936.

For much of that time, the Mercantile was the only place on the island to buy groceries, fishing tackle, hardware and pretty much everything that anyone would need.

Collier not only built, owned, and operated the general store, he also operated a post office, shipyard, lumber yard and hotel on Marco, transforming the remote point of land into an essential stopover on any journey along the Southwest Florida coast.

Collier was also a successful farmer, growing large vegetable crops, fruit trees, and thousands of scenic coconut-bearing palms.

In 2006 Katie Johnson Culp, 97, told the Marco Eagle: “The G & G was kind of like the hub of activity in the area, because that’s were everybody would go and talk.”

From the report: “The Eagle has heard differing accounts on the exact placement of the building, but Johnson said the site is now occupied by condominiums owned by the Old Marco Inn. Others have said it sat on the site of the The Boathouse Motel on Edington Place.

Information gathered from the Naples Daily News archives, Collier County Museum archives and the Marco Island Historical Society.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Marco Island's G&G Mercantile Store was 'hub of activity' until 1965