Nearly 100 years ago, Sheriff James Hogg's livestock roamed the area where the current Mansion Mall and Valley Plaza are located. Many of the cattle from the pasture were taken to Jim Hogg's Market to sell.
Fast forward from 1920 to today, thriving businesses now occupy the area that once supplied the iconic business with meat.
With $500 million in retail sales last year, Poplar Bluff will soon be home to a new Italian and Japanese Steakhouse. The foundation for many businesses seen today was laid by families like the Hogg's.
Tracing roots back to 1873 when Marion Hogg and his family came to Butler County in a covered wagon from Jennings County, Ind., there was a Hogg's market of some sorts in Poplar Bluff until 1997.
The family settled on a farm in the Oak Grove community and soon engaged in the butcher business with James Robert, a son born in 1863. Pork and beef were peddled from a wagon.
James Robert's three markets in Poplar Bluff began in 1884; one located on Bartlett Street, one on South Fourth Street and another on South Main Street.
The markets sold wild as well as domestic meats.
Thomas Medford Hogg, now 97 and living in Louisiana, recalled stories of deer and wild bear being sold by his grandfather.
"People would kill them and bring them in to sell the meat," he said.
The business stayed in the Hoggs' blood with four of James Robert's seven children entering the grocery and market business in a variety of locations. Descendents also kept the family tradition alive by operating stores of their own.
In 1934, James B. and Mae Hogg bought the Star Grocery on Oak Street, which is now Pine Street, and changed the name to Jim Hogg's Market. The business sold on credit and delivered groceries.
Jim Hogg's Market was located west of Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Their son, William R. "Bill" Hogg, began working at the store as a freshman in high school. He then served four years in the Navy and returned to the store in 1946.
In 1947, Jim sold an interest in the store to Bill and Virginia Hogg and his daughter, Dorothy Mae, and her husband, Ernest Hammons.
Seen in photos from the business during the 1950s, Easter hams sold for 69 cents per pound and Nestle chocolate bars were 39 cents each.
Jim and Mae retired in 1962 and sold the business to the remaining partners. Bill and Virginia became sole owners in 1972.
In 1988, Bill and Virginia's son, James Evan "Jim" Hogg, along with his wife, Karen, joined his sister, Susan Hoxworth, and her husband, Randy, to become a part of the store until its closing in 1997.
Since 1934, the store remodeled and expanded eight times.
During his time at the market, Thomas Medford said he remembers when hamburger meat sold for 23 cents per pound.
"A lot of people couldn't buy a 10-pound bag of sugar, so I would put it in 25 cent bags for them," he said.
Edmund, Thomas Medford's father, took over a market on 311 South 4th St., which was destroyed by the 1927 tornado. He then moved City Market to 111 South 4th St. and operated until 1938 when he sold.
Piggy Hogg's Super Market also entered the grocery business when Raymond "Piggy" Hogg, another son of Edmund, bought the Charlton-Duncan Store on Ninth and Maud Street in 1944 and held a grand opening in 1950.
Roger Hogg, Piggy's nephew, said he would walk from the Mark Twain School and "thought he was working" in the afternoons.
While not an official employee, Roger recalled Piggy's clever advertising gimmicks of splitting items, such as a box of Tide, and gluing it to each side of the front door.
"Poplar Bluff was thriving," Roger said. "The river and railroad ran through town and workers would lay over."
Piggy Hogg's was open until the late 1960s, according to Roger. His uncle was diagnosed with cancer and sold the business.
While the buildings, names and prices have changed throughout the years, the groundwork the markets set for Poplar Bluff left a lasting impression for businesses today.
"We have always been and continue to thrive as a regional hub for retail," Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce President Steve Halter said. "Our strong retail presence not only provides jobs, but it also draws people from surrounding communities into Poplar Bluff."
Since its days as farm land, Halter recalls Valley Plaza and Mansion Mall being the "happening" places when he was a young boy and everyone shopped at the two centers.
"Then shops started to close and the buildings became very much blighted," he said. "Thankfully, Jim Bailey took a risk and invested a lot of money to rehab them and now both centers are a driving retail force."
Bailey's investment also took the support of a local bank, which Halter said he is thankful for as well.
As the revitalization of Valley Plaza and Mansion Mall took place, the Eight Points development began to prosper with the opening of Menards, Inc., in 2014, the first business in the now commercial-heavy area.
Retail growth over the years has not only taken the courage of family-owned businesses and large companies putting their faith in Poplar Bluff, but a vote by citizens 40 years ago as well.
A one-percent sales tax approved by the voters of Poplar Bluff on Dec. 15, 1970, is levied on receipts from the sale at retail of all tangible property or taxable services.
"The one percent is extremely important when it comes to the city being able to provide adequate services to our citizens," Halter said.
According to city records, a drop in yearly sales tax collection has only occurred three times since 1988, but quickly rebounded the following years.
One-cent sales tax collection in 1988 totaled nearly $1.9 million and has seen a growth to $5.1 million in 2017.
To generate $5.1 million in sales tax revenue, a total of $500 million was spent in Poplar Bluff last year on retail.
Sales tax collection has seen nearly a four percent increase when comparing the city's 2017 amounts with 2018 amounts to date.
People, not just from Poplar Bluff or even Butler County, visit and spend their money in the city contributing to the one-cent sales tax.
The retail and residential growth in the city and county are much to credit, even though not all is seen inside Poplar Bluff city limits, officials said.
Since 2000, the largest sales tax payers for the fiscal years have changed slightly, but major players such as Walmart, Kroger, Gamblin Lumber Co. and Aldi have remained on the list.
Newer businesses, such as Menards Inc., and Walmart Neighborhood Market, which opened in 2015, have also made their presence known ranking at the number two and four positions respectively for 2017.
For Poplar Bluff to be able to support family-owned businesses such as Jim Hogg's Supermarket and currently growing shopping centers, Halter credits the people of the area who realize how important shopping local is for the economy.
The chamber strongly supports locally-owned shops and encourages people to think about where their money goes when they purchase items online, Halter said.
While not discouraging online shopping, Halter hopes citizens will check out local businesses that depend on area residents before heading online to make final purchases.
Halter believes growth will continue in Poplar Bluff's future, citing a new Japanese Steakhouse and Italian restaurant coming soon.
"I think Poplar Bluff's economy will continue to thrive as long as we invest in infrastructure and education and support our local businesses," he said.