Small Towns

You just gotta love a small town.

There’s a small convenience store, although when it first opened, I doubt that term had been used. It has a deli case, a dairy case and the essential ice cream case. It also has a Formica counter with chrome-edged stools that spin. No matter how much updating has been done over the years and decades, it remains the same. That’s a big part of its charm. Located near homes and schools it was the meeting spot for teenagers and parents (not together, of course!) It was the place to go early in the morning to find out what had happened overnight and the place to go in the evening to see if you missed anything. Interesting enough, when looking at a GPS, the very center of town was the convenience store, aka, the broadcast booth of the valley. Yes, it was homegrown and belonged to our town, but everyone in the surrounding towns knew of it. It’s the landmark given for the high school football stadium and for the elementary school. As an afterthought, someone might tack on that it’s across from the fire station.

The place has changed hands over the years, but always, the spirit remained the same. Food was good, groceries were great, but the highlight was the local news. Recently, the place changed hands yet again. Sadly, the new owner doesn’t quite get it. The place is more sterile looking than it had been in decades. The racks that once held homemade candies behind the counter are gone. The shelves in the middle of the store that held bread, tomatoes, pasta and a smidgen of everything else were removed. In their place are tables and chairs. The counter and stools are still there, but the personality is gone. Evidently, others thoughts so too. Now, the breakfast regulars no longer congregate at the store. They followed the previous owner to her home and enjoy coffee and news in her garage.

Welcome to small town, USA