Missing Pieces To "Dixon’s Market Block" Puzzle

PICTURED: Don’s Cafe, immediately west of Dixon’s Market at 51 East 100 North, Payson (sometime between 1939-1960). These buildings have long-since been demolished. The block, facing south onto First North, as of 2022, is flanked by a Walgreen’s franchise and Conoco gas station. 

The Dixon’s Market building at 51 East 100 North was the last among several sites occupied by the 20th century mercantile in Payson, Utah. Notable also is that its final location was east of the site of Payson’s first motion picture theater.

Dixon’s Market originally opened in 1902 in the Wightman building at 80 South Main Street, Payson. In 1905, the business was relocated inside a building at 54 North Main, and then another at 11 East and First North, “as verified by a pictured taken during the 1916 celebration noting completion of the Orem Railroad-Strawberry project,” according to the late Madoline Dixon in her book Peteetneet Town, A History of Payson, Utah.

By the early 1920s, the store was operating out of the 51 East First North building pictured here, which had been constructed by Walter Huish around 1870. According to Ms Dixon, “After Huish’s death the Furniture and Casket Co. was operated there by John Huish and Sons. After John died the building was sold to C. C. F. Dixon. Douglas Dixon followed his father as owner of Dixon’s Market and remained so until his death (1972).” 

In 1907, “The first picture show house in Payson, the Gayety Theater, was established by two men from Delta, Colo., but within a few months they sold out to George Henry Done of Payson,” according to Ms Dixon.

Payson Historical Society reports note that, in 1910, Mr Done moved the theater into a new building that he constructed on West Utah Avenue.

A more detailed description of the new Gayety Theater site presented by Ms Dixon includes that this building was located on the north side of Depot Street, between Main and First West streets in Payson.

As for its former location near Dixon's Market on First North, “In 1939, Don Cloward, a Payson native, opened a cafe in the building,” according to the Payson Historical Society.  “He later left Payson and Nate and June Thomas operated the cafe for about eight years. In the early 1960s,  Bob and Blanche Wilson, also Payson natives purchased the cafe.

“In 1963, the adjacent Page Garage building was destroyed by fire.  A new building was constructed to the east in the former parking lot to house the cafe.  It was renamed Bob's Cafe.”