Working on Parlons Opelousas gives me opportunities to discover fascinating stories about some of the most interesting Opelousas citizens from the past. I also get to meet new people who have roots in Opelousas, and have stories they are willing to share with me and on the Opelousas Tales Facebook group page.
Recently Will Halphen, whose family is from Opelousas, posted on Facebook a photo of his grandfather’s grocery store located on the corner of Market and Landry streets. While communicating with Will about this photo I learned his grandfather was Mike Halphen Jr., the son of Mike Halphen Sr., who served as Opelousas Mayor in 1908-1912, and again in 1918-1920.
While researching info on the building that housed the Mike Halphen’s grocery, I discovered it was the Lassalle and Desmaris Liquor Company and Saloon in the early part of the 20th century. Following the death of Mr. Desmaris in 1908, in 1910 the building was sold at public auction to Edward P Veazie, a well-known Opelousas criminal attorney, and was thereafter called the Veazie Building. Attorney Veazie used part of the building to house his office.
In 1915, Oscar J. Mistrict opened his new law office in that building as well. In 1920, Bennett’s Store used part of the building as a temporary location while that store was being remodeled. When Bennett’s moved into their remodeled store, D.M. Pellerin opened a pharmacy in the Veazie Building.
In 1924, Pellerin built a new drug store building nearby. When Pellerin moved his drug store to the new location, Mike Halphen Jr. opened his grocery store in the Veazie Building. Parlons will have more on the Halphen story in a later article.
Pellerin’s Drug Store was a thriving business in Opelousas for about two decades. During the 1920s, Pellerin and his family played an important role in the story of the Opelousas business community.
Who was D M. Pellerin? Let’s talk about that.
Donel, sometimes spelled Donnell, Mitchel (D.M.) Pellerin, the son of Leonce and Laure Pellerin, was born on Feb. 10, 1892 in St. Martinville. D.M. was raised and educated in that town where his father was a blacksmith. After finishing his schooling, D.M. married Beatrice Richard, the daughter of Arthur and Elodie Robin Richard of Sunset. The couple had two children, son Donel Mitchel born on Nov. 11, 1915, died May 22, 1916, and daughter, Marjorie Cecile, born on Nov. 27, 1921.
Following his marriage, Pellerin owned and operated a drug store in Sunset for five years, and during 1918 he was involved with the City Drug Company in Washington. After five years of doing business in Sunset, in 1921 Pellerin moved to Opelousas and located his drug store in the Veazie Building on the southwest corner of Landry and Market streets. Later, while he still lived in Opelousas, he owned a drug store in Arnaudville.
After three years of operating from the Veazie Building, Pellerin felt it was time he had his own property. On Feb. 9, 1924, he announced in the Clarion-News he had purchased a lot in downtown Opelousas, located near the Veazie building, and planned to have a new drug store built. Just a few weeks later, he announced contractor Albert Amy would supervise the construction of his new modern, fireproof drug store building on the property right next to the Ben Riseman store, and just across the street from the Veazie building. The new store was completed, with Pellerin Drug Company opening for business in April of 1924.
Pellerin Drug Store sold other things, not just drugs. In 1926, Pellerin bought and sold pecans, claiming he paid the highest market price. He also offered a line of gifts and beauty items to appeal to the ladies of the town. The store also carried cigars and cigarettes, handkerchiefs, film, candy, school supplies, postage stamps and other merchandise too numerous to list.
Another Pellerin in Opelousas:The land of Louis Pellerin
From time to time, Pellerin made changes in the way he conducted his business. An example of that happened in August of 1927 when he announced in the Opelousas News his intention of running special value bargains weekly in his advertisements. He stated with the advent of the cash-and-carry stores and the advantages gained from volume sales, he was going to follow in the footsteps of drug stores in larger cities and planned to use the same principles of business for his drug store. Those changes were in effect by the end of that year.
In October 1933, after Hayes Drug Company in Opelousas closed its doors, Corneil Hayes, a well-known Opelousas druggist who was the owner of that store, went to work for Pellerin’s Drug Store. The addition of Hayes to the Pellerin staff provided an immediate boost in the number of customers because many who once dealt with Hayes Drugs followed Corneil to his new work place. And with Hayes in the store, Pellerin had more time to be involved in community and political affairs.
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During his time in Opelousas, Pellerin and his family lived on Railroad Avenue. Mr. and Mrs. Pellerin were involved in many of the Opelousas civic and social clubs of that time. D.M. Pellerin was active member of the Chamber of Commerce and he participated in most of the chamber activities.
Their daughter, Marjorie ,attended school in town where she was very involved in all activities. Marjorie finished high school in Opelousas, and attended the Southwestern Louisiana Institute (SLI) in Lafayette. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the SLI College of Education in 1941. Sometime following her college graduation, Marjorie married Nathan Courtney Surber and moved to Houston, Texas. She died suddenly at her home in Houston on September 20, 1975 at the age of 54. Her funeral was held at the St. Landry Catholic Church in Opelousas, with burial in Bellevue Memorial Park Cemetery.
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Besides having a very successful business in Opelousas, D.M. Pellerin was also involved in local, parish and state politics. In 1927, Pellerin ran for a seat on the St. Landry Parish Police Jury. He lost that election.
In 1930, Pellerin ran for the office of Opelousas alderman-at-large. In his official announcement, he stated his belief that “anyone running for office should make known his position on any matter that effects the interests of the people of the City so that each and every voter will know in advance of his voting the position of each and every candidate for office.” He was in a runoff with Homer Ventre for that position, but lost to Ventre in the general election.
In 1935-36, Pellerin ran for the state legislature, but did not win. Around 1939 Pellerin closed his drug business in Opelousas. During that year he again announced his candidacy for the office of state legislature. In a statement he issued in October of 1939, Pellerin stated he was a free and independent democrat. He added he felt he was well suited for the position because he was a successful businessman which qualified him “to help to administer the affairs of the great state of Louisiana in a business-like and economical manner.”
He ended his announcement stating, “Finally, I want honesty in government, I want decency in government, I want freedom in government, and I want to give the government back to the people to whom it belongs.” As in his other election runs, he was defeated in that race.
In 1943, Pellerin became ill. In April, local doctors sent him to the Methodist Hospital in Houston for a major operation. The surgery did not go well. D.M. Pellerin died following that surgery on Saturday, April 10, 1943. His body was returned to Opelousas. Services were held in Opelousas and St. Martinville, with his burial in the St. Martinville Catholic cemetery. His wife Bernice died in Opelousas in December of 1984 and is buried next to her husband in St. Martinville.
So what became of the building on West Landry Street that once housed the Pellerin Drug Store? That building stands today on the lot D.M. Pellerin purchased in 1924. Located next door to the Dairy Queen, it housed a variety of businesses over the years.
One of the most notable was the Opelousas Daily World newspaper that was started in December of 1939. The very first office for that historic paper was located in the Pellerin Drug Store Building. How about that!
Let’s talk Opelousas again.
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