Tuesday, September 27, 2011

J. Roy Eames Mercantile

The two story red brick store had a wood floor which was swept clean every day and then J. Roy would put oil on the floor which soaked right in.  It was never slippery. I guess that is the way they used to renew a wood floor in the early 1900s.

On the right side as you walked in was a soda pop counter with padded stools that spun around.  It was a real treat to buy a bottle of pop. These bottles had long necks but just enough room in the neck so that if you wanted, you could put peanuts into the soda pop to watch it fizz.   Back then a soda once or twice a week was the norm. My favorite was cream soda but grandma liked lemon drop, which was yellow in a clear bottle; they probably don't make it any more.


Behind the counter was a cooler which kept the pop cool.  It tasted oh so good on a hot day. Next to the counter was a 6x5 foot glass candy display. It was candy by the pound or penny and it held so many varieties of candy and chocolates that I couldn't name all of them. It just made your mouth water.

He had a gold cash register that was similar to the one in the above photo.  It probably got burnt in the fire. It sure was a dilly. He used to sell baloney and cheese sandwiches to go with the soda. One neighbor said that he could slice that baloney and cheese thinner than anyone in the county. He used one of those large slicer machines.

In the back of the store, there used to be a big pot bellied stove.  
It looked a lot like this one.

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