‘The Perryman Revival’, restoration efforts start for old grocery store building

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) - Leaders at the Cotton Club Museum are hoping to restore an old grocery store into a historical site.

“In African American communities, there are historic buildings, we don’t save many of them. This is one,” said Chair of Cotton Club Museum, Vivian Filer.

The Perryman Grocery Store was once a staple food source for residents of East Gainesville in the 1930’s and 40’s after being brought over from Camp Blanding.

“People could actually go there and buy groceries, and often times they didn’t have their money right then, they would pay at the end of the week. The proprietor has a little book that you would buy an item and put it in the book, and at the end of the week, you would pay for it. It was very important to those families who probably lived on a very small