Part III – Changes and the Depression (1925-1938)
At this point even Jacob Glassman appears to have given up, at least temporarily. In January 1926 he sold the land to Harry Chidakel, but with a proviso. Number 2008 (the “comic book store”) had been run as a variety store, entirely separate from the grocery store, by Fannie Friedlander since 1921. The deed noted that it was subject to a lease to Ms Friedlander for a store with apartment above for $25/month that still had three years to run. In fact at that point Friedlander had given up as well, and she folded her store the next year.
At the main store building Chidakel wasted no time in finding a new tenant. He leased it to Judson Neale, RO Ingram & EL Clement to run Del Ray Auto Supply store there. The lease was for $1,200 for a single year, including the building, store room (presumably the current no. 2006) and outbuildings. It included two option years that could be exercised by the renters at $1,500/year. They stayed there through 1933, when they were replaced by Potomac Hardware.
Nonetheless the depression hit hard and the Chidakels were unable to keep up the payments on the $8,500 mortgage they had taken out to buy the property. In May 1932 the land was sold at foreclosure auction to Sophia Kolodin for $5,200. She held onto it until August 1938 when she sold it to, of all people, David Glassman, son of the earlier owner Jacob.