Dear Customers,
The first air conditioner was invented in 1902 by Willis Carrier of Buffalo as a solution to a specific problem faced by a printing company needing precise temperature and humidity control. Initially, air conditioning was used primarily for industrial purposes until it was incorporated into movie theatres some twenty years later.
By the 1930’s, AC units became more compact and were soon being used in department stores, office buildings and even luxury homes. It wasn’t, however, until after World War II that the units became more technologically efficient and therefore, more affordable – ultimately finding their way into homes via “window units”.
Back in the 1970’s when I purchased my first car, the prevailing attitude was that you “didn’t need air conditioning in a car because of the expense (AC routinely added another $1500 to the sticker price) and because you only needed it a couple months out of the year!” Plus, you could always roll down the window and go really fast, which was akin to sticking your head in a blast furnace!
I don’t really remember when we first got air conditioning in the old supermarket down next to the hardware, sometime during the 80’s I think. But I do remember how cool and comfortable it made shopping in there compared to the sweltering years before. It was found that with all the fresh produce, meats and other delicate products, air conditioning, in addition to feeling great, was beneficial for the more perishable items in the store.
Since we’ve been at this location at 409 E. Water St., some 22 years now, we rarely turn the air conditioners on. It’s so cold in here most of the time due to all the open refrigeration cases that we pretty much run the heater 10 months out of the year – even though I know it doesn’t oft en feel like it. In fact, back about a month ago, when we had our first heat wave, we turned the AC on for the first time because the front windows and the glass doors on the frozen food cases were fogged over due to the high humidity!
You can say what you will about the cost of air conditioning vs. its benefits, but let me tell you, when you need it – you are very grateful to have it!