When ‘frozen food lockers’ were popular in Petaluma

Before modern conveniences, Petalumans of yesteryear were a bit more industrious. It was not uncommon for a family to raise its own farm animals, which were eventually turned into meals long before “local” and “grass-fed” became meat marketing terms.

But really, who has room to store a whole cow?

Even broken down, a quarter of a cow still adds up to a lot of freezer space. Hence, frozen food lockers became a popular Petaluma business model. In the 1940s, Barker’s Frozen Food Locker opened on Petaluma Boulevard, while Cross Frozen Food Lockers set up shop on Western Avenue.

Cross not only rented frozen locker space, it sold specialized freezers for families who had room to keep the meat at home. Other freezers were sold specifically for dairy products. “A full line of freezer meats available, or complete processing if you raise your own animals,” a 1955 advertisement for Cross declared.

Baker’s rented locker space to families, in addition to breaking down animals for storage and consumption. As the years went on and Petaluma families were much more likely to shop at a market than raise their own animals, the family business pivoted. It began smoking meats and making sausages, which were frozen, packaged and shipped across America.