Talk About One-Stop Shopping...

I'd hate to think what might turn up in the produce section.

I believe this is a biography of the addressee of your cover:

Strange combination of businesses indeed.

The cover reminds me of a furneral home in Abilene Texas who had Their ad in the Frozen Food section of the Yellow Pages, Their motto was "People Serving People

Not strange at all -- it's a marriage made in Heaven!

Set your sample coffins up on end, with little shelves crossways, and use them for boxes, bottles, and canned goods. People buying food can make a tentative selection for the Great Unknown, somewhere down the line. The newly-bereaved can buy the coffin they like today, and take it home in the wagon, filled with groceries for the wake.

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Some 19th-century coffins had a shrill noise-making device tacked inside, of interest to those elderly who had a notion they might fall unconscious and mistakenly be buried alive, only to revive sealed inside the box.

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This is the origin of the expression, "thinking outside the box".

Interesting cover alright.

That business can provide you with the food you need while you are here, and, can also provide the necessary items after you leave as well.

Chimo

Bujutsu

Doug you are absolutely correct! My Father's side are all undertakers (Morticians) and actually have some of those antiquated devices in storage in Jersey Shore Pa and a plethora of reference material on the different patented devices that one could purchase if one thought it necessary! It's all quite fascinating actually.

I wasn't joking until you got down to the last line of the post...

But it's a fact weather you was joking or not! There are more accurately -were devices like bells on strings whistles and all sorts of noisemakers. You could even hire a guard to watch your device for over 2 weeks just to be sure! (I think only few hours at best would probably have sufficed!)

What's old is new again. You can purchase coffins at Costco Wholesale along with frozen food, clothing, electronics and car tires. Just hope they don't decide to offer a more full service in that area.

Here is another example of one stop shopping.
I guess in 1905, everything you could possibly want, was available in Arkansas City,Kansas.

This was a very funny thread,
I really enjoyed it.
"People serving people" that really cracked me up.

rod222
glad to see I brighten your day.