Back before the Wal Marts and even KMarts and Alco's of the world, small towns had Five and Dimes. They were little stores that carried a little of this and a little of that. Clothes, craft stuff, knick knacks, gifts, toys and most important to me - candy!
I saw recently in the ANT - Atlantic News Telegraph (it was run by the Simpson family in town - another good friend of the Bullocks, until 15 years ago or so), that Mrs. Bonneson died. Bonneson's was one of the stores I frequented nearly weekly when I was a kid - at least during good weather.
Laurie Reinertson and I would walk downtown - it was a good 7 or 8 blocks, but all downhill. Back then our parents didn't worry much about us getting kidnapped or sexually abused by some perv. We walked with purpose - on a mission to get some serious shopping done. I usually had a coin purse on me - one of those rubbery things you squeezed to open up. Or a leather one my sis weaved and pounded during arts and crafts at Bar L Ranch.
Early on, Bonneson's was on the left side of main street - Chestnut. When you walked in the door you were met by a huge candy case filled with all sorts of delights Willy Wonka would have loved! Grape Bubble Gum, Lik-Em-Aids, Pixie Stix, Bottle Caps, Candy Necklaces, Wax lips and pop bottles, Sweetarts, Lemonheads, Milk Duds, Sugar Daddies, Fizzies, Bazooka Gum, Boston Baked Beans, Candy Cigarettes, Bubble Gum Cigars, Bit O Honey, Slow Pokes and more.
Oh, I didn't get all that stuff each time - but I remember getting canker sores a few times thanks to sugar overdose.
I also liked to look around the store - not at the boring stuff like fabric and womanly things. But at the toys - junky stuff you'd never buy but lusted for. Fake handcuffs, guns - you know what a tomboy I was - all those things attracted me. There was a downstairs to the little store too.
They also had a wonderful selection of porcelain horses - another huge attraction! Those were great birthday gifts - the Bullocks had a wonderful collection of them on the built-in shelves in Betsy and my bedroom. Cindy crafted yarn bridles for them and we used those little pencil eraser creatures (another dimestore purchase) as the riders - playing Bar L ranch and naming each horse Bar L horse names. Of course we had to be mighty careful of the fragile horses, and ended up gluing one or two - the ones in a trotting position were especially vulnerable!
The other store in town - Ben Franklin, was run by the Larson family. Marlette was a class behind me. That store was laid out all on one level. They had the added attraction of - gasp - hamsters and birds! I lusted after those too, but my mother wisely avoided adding either to our family. That store is where Bets and I unwisely turned in original Barbies (Cindy and Susi's no doubt) for the Twist and Turn models (I didn't even like Barbie - that had to be an impulse buy!). The store was another good place to bide my time checking out toys on slow summer days.
I miss good old main street Atlantic. But times change and we can't ever get that back. I'm sure my grandparents missed stores from their childhoods that were replaced by Ben Franklin. And so it goes...
I saw recently in the ANT - Atlantic News Telegraph (it was run by the Simpson family in town - another good friend of the Bullocks, until 15 years ago or so), that Mrs. Bonneson died. Bonneson's was one of the stores I frequented nearly weekly when I was a kid - at least during good weather.
Laurie Reinertson and I would walk downtown - it was a good 7 or 8 blocks, but all downhill. Back then our parents didn't worry much about us getting kidnapped or sexually abused by some perv. We walked with purpose - on a mission to get some serious shopping done. I usually had a coin purse on me - one of those rubbery things you squeezed to open up. Or a leather one my sis weaved and pounded during arts and crafts at Bar L Ranch.
Early on, Bonneson's was on the left side of main street - Chestnut. When you walked in the door you were met by a huge candy case filled with all sorts of delights Willy Wonka would have loved! Grape Bubble Gum, Lik-Em-Aids, Pixie Stix, Bottle Caps, Candy Necklaces, Wax lips and pop bottles, Sweetarts, Lemonheads, Milk Duds, Sugar Daddies, Fizzies, Bazooka Gum, Boston Baked Beans, Candy Cigarettes, Bubble Gum Cigars, Bit O Honey, Slow Pokes and more.
Oh, I didn't get all that stuff each time - but I remember getting canker sores a few times thanks to sugar overdose.
I also liked to look around the store - not at the boring stuff like fabric and womanly things. But at the toys - junky stuff you'd never buy but lusted for. Fake handcuffs, guns - you know what a tomboy I was - all those things attracted me. There was a downstairs to the little store too.
They also had a wonderful selection of porcelain horses - another huge attraction! Those were great birthday gifts - the Bullocks had a wonderful collection of them on the built-in shelves in Betsy and my bedroom. Cindy crafted yarn bridles for them and we used those little pencil eraser creatures (another dimestore purchase) as the riders - playing Bar L ranch and naming each horse Bar L horse names. Of course we had to be mighty careful of the fragile horses, and ended up gluing one or two - the ones in a trotting position were especially vulnerable!
The other store in town - Ben Franklin, was run by the Larson family. Marlette was a class behind me. That store was laid out all on one level. They had the added attraction of - gasp - hamsters and birds! I lusted after those too, but my mother wisely avoided adding either to our family. That store is where Bets and I unwisely turned in original Barbies (Cindy and Susi's no doubt) for the Twist and Turn models (I didn't even like Barbie - that had to be an impulse buy!). The store was another good place to bide my time checking out toys on slow summer days.
I miss good old main street Atlantic. But times change and we can't ever get that back. I'm sure my grandparents missed stores from their childhoods that were replaced by Ben Franklin. And so it goes...
2 comments:
oh, we had Kenkel's and Trout's!! Kenkel's became Hester's, and got way too clean, so I didn't like it as much. Those candy cases! Loved 'em.
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