stopped by
a local independent pharmacy
with a name that ends in ”II”
even though
they have no store with “I”
after its name
and
fell into a time warp
i was
in an old five and dime and drug store
both rolled into one
the aspirin
and many other things
looked like
they had been there for ages
with a slight yellow tint to them
some
were the only ones
left on the shelves
time stood still
in that little store
nothing had changed
in years
it had slipped
through the cracks
and then
i looked closer
and
saw the rest
there were
tiny glass animals
titanic coloring book
wild buck notecards
men’s dress socks
magic tricks
meercat attack animal warning signs
chocolate milk
grill mitts
mermaid activity books
comfortable chairs for waiting at the pharmacy
golden books
necco wafers
animal suction cup toothbrush holders
a metal cigarette box
with an exotic woman on it
saying
‘i stole your boyfriend’
face powder
ceramic neon sandal
fax service
how to tie nautical knots book
prescription delivery sign
kitten puzzles
postcards with puns
a grab bag for $1.00
filled with
old greeting cards
you had to take your chances
it was all whimsy
and old-fashioned-ness
mixed with
medical supplies and drugs and novelty
and a dash of
i loved discovering
all of
the special things
about it
and the best of all
was
the tiny woman over 80
standing vigil at the front register
who rang up the order for a total of
$3,403.26
a young manager
quite pregnant
on her way out
stopped
when she called to her for help
came back
to fix the slight overcharge
and said,
‘now, don’t give her change for $3,400, she didn’t give you that much’
it was
$1.75
for my tiny glass giraffe
she nodded
so
sweet
unruffled
full of grace
her hair was done
wearing
matching earrings and necklace
the beautiful older woman
was relieved
when i paid cash
i gave her 2 worn singles
she gave me
a shiny quarter back
wrapped my animal
in tissue paper
folded it into a little bag
she smiled
and told me to come back very soon
i will.
—
time flies over us, but leaves its shadow behind.
– nathaniel hawthorne
—
image credits: longs drugs 1938, salvador dali, persistence of time 1931, getty images
I loved these images. What a splendid way to remember childhood memories. :0)
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ah – but this just happened, wwfy )
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:0) perfect.
Well, a great way for me to think back and remember mine.
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not much has changed there, so it makes sense )
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p.s. Your poems bring me back to so many happy places….when sometimes the world tries to drag us in the shadows. Thanks for your beautiful writing.
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Beautiful.
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thanks, katie )
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Oh, my, Beth. You beautifully crafted story about that artfully put-together store could have been written in every decade since the fax machine came out. That’s three now, I figure. Take that one item out, and make it six decades!
There may have been a YOURSTORE I back then?
How nice for your neighborhood. )
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thanks, mark and i’d say the fax is their nod to technology and trying to come up to speed. judging by the merchandise i’d guess: the owner does his/her own thing, does not follow any sort of corporate model, loves people, the sea, books, children, toys, and has an eccentric sense of humor and the world.
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So much fun:)
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thanks, gigi )
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What child wouldn’t want a Titanic coloring book? It would go well with the Donner Party connect the dots book…
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i know, i was kind of thinking along those lines too, when i found it )
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Loved those old drugstores so!
>
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hey, it’s still here roy, stop in when you’re in the area )
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I just love old five & dimes. I’m so happy that I live in a neighborhood where the motto is “shop local.” Lovely post!
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me too, and thanks, taft )
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great image…. proven income at http://bit.ly/1rmGrxS
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much better than
my current shopping experiences 🙂
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you just have to stop by the right places )
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I love discovering such places. Thank you for transporting me to one of yours.
Russ
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my pleasure, russ )
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I hope they paid you for taking inventory. 🙂 What a great story and a great picture. What will you do with that glass giraffe?
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thanks kerbey, he’s sitting on a little shelf in my kitchen )
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Vivid. And lovely.
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thank you, sarah )
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sounds like a great place to do some shopping. Loved the line ‘don’t give her change for $3,4000…’ the manager sounds like a very nice lady
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i know, that was so funny )
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Oh my, that takes me back to the Veazey’s drugstore that was three blocks from my house when I was growing up (in the ’50s). I spent many hours in there, especially at the fountain. My favorite drink to order on a hot Oklahoma day was a cherry phosphate, a sort of sparkling cherry soda. The pharmacy gave away free suckers to kids. The aisles were stocked with all the sort of things you described.
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glad to take you back to a happy place, pied )
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I would shop there!
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and you would love it )
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😀
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oh, my stars and garters…this is divine, beth! <3!!
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thank you divine miss m, oh – i think someone already took that name )
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I loved this. So sweet and the images as well.
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thanks so much )
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You certainly did walk into a Time Warp, Beth! That was amazing how many strange and bizarre things you found there! I could not figure out which store with the “ll” it was! But it sounds like the old Five and Dime stores. I am so glad you bought the treasure of a giraffe, with less than $2! Even though I don’t smoke, I would have bought that cigarette box, so I could store some change or headache pills in it. I may have bought the yellowed aspirin for just the ‘flavor’ of them! Wow, you sure do find wondrous things that are either mysterious or colorful. One or the other, every day!
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thanks robin, and it was so fun being in there, i just kept finding one thing after another!
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I miss those places. Taylor Drugstore for me. Thanks for the nostalgia
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yes, there is something special about them, and lucky this one is still around )
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Ahhh, this was my Kresge’s (Woolworth) in Canada. Loved the walk down memory lane.
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yes, i used to go to these places when i was a little girl, and so happy to have discovered one still here. )
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A nice step back in time beth, except for the huge bill that is. 🙂
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thanks, and good thing that was taken care of quickly )
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We had Woolworth – and it was filled to the brim with a disordered olio that never made sense but always yielded a delight…
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that’s the joy of it, isn’t it mimi?
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This is lovely, Beth. I can see you there casting your eye around and smiling at each new discovery. I love that they have retained their own way of doing things and not fallen into the generic trap. My own local independent chemist has ‘twin shops’ at each end of the Main Street. They’re not quite so charming as this but they do house an eclectic mix of goods and both display them quite differently. One in particular I like to mosey around while waiting on a prescription. And I always end up buying something I never went in for in the first place. 🙂
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thank you, and i understand completely )
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This reminds me of a store I used to visit on my way home from Jr. High – I could get silver charms for a few dollars. I’d be careful of the aspirin, but everything else… sigh.
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yes, all of the other little things are so interesting –
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Especially the Elder a the register 🙂
Love it that she is there and treated with respect.
She may have been the original owner…
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me too, and i wondered the same thing myself
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After reading your delightful tale. I feel like a child again! Wait – I always feel like a child (inside!) xo ~Karen~
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thanks karen and i do too –
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I found you from Eli’s blog, but I can’t find a place to subscribe so I can get updates when you post. Do you have a subscribe “button”?
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Never mind. Found it!
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great, and thanks shay )
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I can hear bells banging against glass as i finished–the comforting aroma of musty-sweet giving way to the bite of the fresh air.
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yes –
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Beautiful way to remember childhood memories, it’s always nice to go back to our childhoods such a fun time in our lives.
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yes, and this just happened, but it transported me back…
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Oh, that was a lovely journey. I feel the spirit of Woolworth’s hovering over me, complete with plastic crates sold to college students.
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there is a special feeling in these places )
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Yes, like time capsules or portals to the past. 🙂
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This was so captivating to read… so beautiful ❤
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very kind of you, ivy )
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It is deserved 🙂
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