Courtesy of former neighbor and longterm friend of the neighborhood Tom Elliott:

A good Oregon Hill friend (now a world traveller for many years) recently gave me a book “Bottled in Richmond 1819-1920” by Vernon Grant. I flipped through it and found all the saloons, liquor dealers and pharmacies in Richmond. There were about 20 in Oregon Hill during that period. This is the story of just one of them.

614 Church St (demolished) was obviously a commercial establishment being on the corner in a packed urban neighborhood. I found brothers John & Soloman Gross operating as a “Grocer and Saloon” there from 1869-1885 (Bottled in Richmond pg.139) . Both were born in Germany, John in 1832 and Solomon in 1837. Both married Virginians, Nancy G. and Mary J. John died (Cirrhosis of the liver) in 1884 and Solomon (Diarrhea) in 1886. Nancy and Mary obtained the help of (Englishman) Wm. B Illingworth (b-1833) and wife Lucinda and continued in business at 614 Church St. They were operating as a “Grocer and Liquor Dealer” as “Illingsworth & Co.” from 1888-1903 (Bottled in Richmond, pg. 150) . William died in 1890, The women then operated the business for the next 14 years. Nancy Gross died in 1902 and Lucinda Illingsworth in 1904. The business had stopped by 1904. Mary J Gross was still living at 614 Church St in 1904. These various families lived within this single house from at least 1869-1904. I will assume the business was on the ground floor and they lived on the upper floors. Credits: The Valentine, Ancestry, Bottled in Richmond 1819-1920 by Vernon Grant, Hollywood Cemetery, VCU Library.