J.O. and Dorothy Herod were in business in Grapeland for 42 years. They owned and operated White Kitchen Cafe and Herod’s Grocery. James O. Herod and Dorothy Bridges Herod left their hard farm life to seek their fame and fortune in the city of Grapeland during the hard economic year of 1925. 

After saving a year’s profit on their cotton and pea crop of some $25, and another $40 or $50 from trapping money and butchering farm-grown meat and peddling them for money, they bought a small back-alley cafe in ‘town’ behind the former front street post office building from a Mr. Robbins… the purchase price was in the neighborhood of $100. They ran this cafe until 1927 at which time they opened the White Kitchen Cafe on Front Street (approximately where Walling’s Drug Store is now located). One of the counties best home-cooked food cafes (with Dorothy as cook) boasted of 10 cent chili, 20 cent stew, 35 cent steak (with potatoes and gravy), and 10 cent pie. The Herod’s kept this business until approximately 1935, only to reopen a business with Jim O.’s brother, Otis, under the name of Herod Bros. Grocery, Jim & Dorothy operated the business there until about 1939 at which time they opened a feed store in the alley next to the Herod Bros. Grocery and gradually added more and more groceries until they were running a full-service grocery again. This store remained at this location until approximately 1942. The Herod’s then bought a larger more modern store on the corner of Main Street (now the site of First State Bank) and ran this business during the war years 1942-1945. The Herod’s saw an opportunity to own their own building, so in 1946 they sold the store to Guy Manville and bought the old Guice Blacksmith building on the side street; tore the building down, and rebuilt on teh site a modern, cinderblock building which became their final business home until 1969, when they retired after 42.5 years of service to their community, neighbors and friends. They touched the lives of all they knew, helped many in times of need and distress, and made wonderful memories. They left their mark on the city of Grapeland and its fine history.