In 1929, Clem Toepfer operated a grocery store in South Peru. In 1933, he moved his business to 316 West Main Street.
As with a lot of "mom & pop" grocery stores you could call on the phone and your groceries would be delivered. His two daughters named his delivery truck "Rattle Trap" because you could hear it coming down the street. Most customers would run a "tab" and pay their bills weekly or monthly. Clem was well-known for his homemade mincement much to the delight of holiday bakers. Very few people had freezers so customers would order meat and produce several times a week.
Clem had a wonderful sense of humor, was quick-witted, and the life of a party. Children loved him and gave him the name "Clem Kadiddlehopper". Clem's father, born in Germany, was a blacksmith and became partners with John Volpert. The business was known as Toepfer & Volpert.
A fire destroyed the business in 1957 but was rebuilt and continued serving customers until 1967. From 1968 to 1990 Clem was associated with Peru Federal Savings and Loan. Note: a car wash now stands in the location of Toepfer's Grocery in 2006.
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