Most communities had at least one corner store. When I was a kid, there were three of his stores on the corner on my way to school. The one we visited most often was owned by the Dengler family. In addition to groceries, he also had some paper products.
What I remember most about this little shop is the little loaves of bread he would often give out to the children. I think Sunbeam or Wonder Bread probably made this little bread. They were child-sized. I don’t think the slices were even cut. I remember bringing home small pieces of bread and cutting them up to make little sandwiches.
There were times when my sandwich was just butter and sugar. If you happen to have some jelly around the house, you can make jelly sandwiches. In between trips to the supermarket, I went to Dengler’s to buy whatever I needed. I often rode my bike to the store for my neighbors. I remember on one trip there were eggs in the basket. As I pulled my bike off the curb, I thought maybe part of the egg had broken. Thankfully, everything was intact when I delivered it to my neighbor.
I believe Dengler’s store closed earlier than the one run by the Krinos. I knew Nick because he was in my class at school. Sometimes when I went there he was nearby. We went there to buy popsicles and fadsicles.
By the way, both were made at a local ice cream factory. Sometimes we stopped there on our way back from the playground. When we went to the orchard to pick strawberries, we also went to buy some snacks. After choosing a snack, I couldn’t wait to eat it.
And then there was the market for Florelius. Mostly I went there to buy school supplies. We liked to patronize them because they were members of our church.
There was also an ice cream parlor on the corner next to Dengler’s Market. We went there a lot. Mr. and Mrs. Wickes owned it. He was a very nice person.
He was always patient and happy. His wife, on the other hand, was often in a bad mood. Perhaps she was sick, but we didn’t know it. I remember buying a sundae and milkshake there. Sometimes you just get a cone. During the summer, a local ice cream factory made delicious lemon ice cream. They always had a piece of it.
Wickes store also had penny candy. There was a large case just inside the door. If I had some change, I picked out some snacks. The actual cost was only a penny. I liked something called Peach Pit. You can buy a small bag for just a few pennies. I also liked the root beer barrel. It’s a very good memory. Mr. Wicks was a kind man and he was always willing to help me with my purchases.
Every community had a corner store. When I got married and moved here, I realized that was true here as well. Akeley had Bill Hales. he was very kind. Every time I went there he had pretzel sticks for the kids. The kids loved those pretzels. Sometimes I needed items while baking, so I went there. He even helped us at church when we had a pancake dinner. We ordered him all the sausages. He also brought us pancake supplies. He was open late that night in case we ran out of anything.
My mother-in-law said she ordered groceries from Bill Hale. He ran the tab for them. She would order and they would pick it up on the back porch after the chores were done. My neighbor, Ida Grace, was a little woman. She had Bill deliver things to her, so she always traded there.
Everyone knew Bill Hale. It was a sad event when he finally sold the store.
It operated for several more years, but was eventually closed.
Russell had a Peck store. Other people owned it before Pex, but that was before my time. I think it was called Yellow and Black Store. Her mother ordered meat from there. Bill packed it for me and I stopped by to pick it up. She was always satisfied with her purchases. If he needed anything else, she always gave him that order as well.
The corner store was the center of the community. Everyone has done business there at one time or another. The owner seemed to know everyone. I miss the corner stores with friendly people behind the counter. I’m afraid they’ll be gone forever!
Ann R. Swanson writes from her home in Russell, Pennsylvania. Contact him at hickoryheights1@verizon.net.