Return to the Square

First, I must thank LaRose Tapley for the nostalgic pleasure of Saturday afternoon on the square. Her descriptions gave me a word picture of the Bone Yard filled with farm trucks, wagons, buggies, and some cars. These visitors had worked hard all week and having a day around the square in the city of Swainsboro was a holiday. Along with the folks from the farms were many local cars filling the parking places. Town folks also looked forward to Saturday “on the square.” Many just sat in their cars just to watch folks walk past as they went in and out of the stores. Rosenberg’s, Erlich’s, Herman Subotnick’s, Darling’s and United five and Ten aisles were filled with shoppers or “just lookers”. Drug stores, Harrison’s. Lewis’, Davis’s and Blacks were refreshment stops for milk shakes, sundaes, or the costly banana splits. Ice cream cones were bought to lick as you walked around the square. In my latter teens I was not part of any of this festivity for I was working. Annette McDaniel and I had a Saturday job at the United Five and Ten. Mrs. Alpha Flanders was the manager and taught her young employees the art of salesmanship. She told us that we should be considerate of customers even if they were just looking. One of the early morning assignments for Annette and I was to fill the candy case. There were bins of different candies and a bin of mixed nuts. As we filled, there was much temptation to test a piece. The mixed nuts were most tempting especially the large Brazil nuts. We felt it our responsibility to taste all of the nuts. I doubt that anyone who bought nuts on Saturday ever received a Brazil nut in their bag. A new attraction bought more shoppers into the store when an aquarium of goldfish was placed in front of the store. They could purchase fish, a bowl, and fish food. The fish were caught in a little net and placed in a cardboard box filled with water from the tank, and new owner went home with new pets. We had a short break for supper, so of course we had a Lucille Lewis hamburger and bottle of coke. The highlight of the workday was when store was closed at nine o’clock, and we received our pay. All salespeople gathered in the lighted back of store. Mrs. Flanders gave out pay envelopes to full time staff. Then she counted out three one-dollar bills to Annette and I. We felt rich for a week. However, I spent most of my pay before leaving the store. Shirley can be contacted at sptwiss@gmail.com.

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