Happy birthday Dorothy Lane Market! What to know about its history

Dorothy Lane Market, the grocery gem of the Miami Valley, is celebrating 74 years.

On Aug. 12, 1948, Calvin D. Mayne and Frank Y. Sakada opened the original Dorothy Lane Market as a fruit stand on the corner of Dorothy Lane and Far Hills Avenue.

Credit: ddn archive

Credit: ddn archive

Here are 7 things to know about Dorothy Lane Market according to the company’s historical narrative:

1. First store. In 1953 Dorothy Lane Market moved to its present location at 2710 Far Hills Ave. in Oakwood.

2. Giving back. Mayne's wife, Vera Jane, launched the Good Neighbor program in 1955 as a way for DLM to give back to the community.

3. Early pricing.  In the early days Mayne would go to the downtown train station at midnight each Monday to pick up a newspaper and look at the grocery store ad prices. He based his prices, that didn't publish in the newspaper until Wednesday, to beat the competition.

4. Ownership transition. In 1960, Sakada sold his interest in the store to Mayne, who continued to operate the store until his death in 1972.

Credit: NONE

Credit: NONE

5. More stores. A second store in the Washington Square Shopping Center opened in 1991 and in 2002 the DLM in Springboro opened.

6. Customers first. Dorothy Lane Market quit advertising in 1995 and began Club DLM to reward customers.

7. Brownie decadence. The Killer Brownie makes its debut in 1985. The original is made with layers of brownie, caramel and chopped pecans. The latest addition to the brownie family is the confetti killer brownie. In 2015 a bakery was built dedicated to brownies.