New Union Grocery (circa 1926) |
Speedy's,
aka New Union Grocery, was a corner market at Union and Montgomery for
80 years before brothers Marshall & Art Dong retired at the
end of January, 2003. The Dong brothers owned Speedy's for 25 years. Art,
who worked for the previous owner for ten years, was the inspiration for
delivery boy Lionel Wong in Armistead Maupin's Tales
of the City. Since it was he who sired Didi's twins, Lionel - and Art
Dong by extension - is the father of the next generation of "Tales"
characters. Twin Anna appears in Maupin's 2000 novel, The Night Listener.
Speedy's is more than just a package store, it's a community outpost and
a true Telegraph Hill institution. The name Speedy's comes not from fast
service, but from Art's former employer, the Spediacci family. Angelina
Spediacci was on hand to congratulate the brothers on their retirement
at a party at the old Shadows restaurant
down the block. Speedy's owner is a Telegraph Hill neighbor, Brian Leonard.
More than 200 people came out to celebrate Marshall and Art. The sentimental
hill dwellers say they'll even miss Marshall's
treasured auto, which sat like a sentinel at Union and Montgomery for
so many years. |
