Memories of a mid-century village grocery

BY SALLY STOCKWELL METRO

Special to the Observer

I’m not one to proclaim that “life was so much simpler then …” I’m sure people had the challenges of their times to deal with, just as we do today. And time does soften the edges of our memories. But it seems like growing up in a small village in Vermont in the 1950’s was a lot simpler than it might be now. My parents owned a small grocery store in West

Brattleboro Village. Kids walked the streets, played sports in back lots, and in the summer stayed outside till it got dark.

I worked in our store from an early age and watched my parents run the store and greet customers. It was the original store that my grandfather had started. It was a humble building with wooden floors and poorly lit aisles. But everyone knew where their favorite cereals and the canned beans were located.

My mother also ran a so-called “snack bar” on one side of the room. There she served coffee and donuts to the construction workers who came in on their way to work and sandwiches at lunch to people on their breaks. Around Thanksgiving time, she roasted turkeys and served Thanksgiving-type dinners at lunch.

I was assigned to stock shelves, mark canned goods and run the cash register. We were not immune to power outages.

Over the cash register was an antique oil lamp. It hung from the ceiling on a cast iron chain. The body of the lamp was cast iron, but the globe above the oil bowl was white glass with small flowers in the design. It raised and lowered on the chain.

When the power went out, we used the lamp to see and rang up orders with a crank on the register. That lamp was one of the

On Thursday, July 6, the Williston-Richmond Rotary Club will host guest speaker Patrick Gallivan, who will share the story of Vermont’s Camp Ta-KumTa. Founded in 1984, the summer camp for children who have or have had cancer now offers year-

David Alan Miller Heinrich Medicus Music Director

round programing for kids and their families. Gallivan, camp director, has volunteered with the camp for over 25 years.

To attend in person or via Zoom, RSVP by email to RotaryClubofWillistonVT@gmail.com.

Meal pickup available for seniors

All seniors in the area — anyone over 60 years of age — are treasures my mother got out of a couple boxes she bought at an auction for a few dollars. She was an enthusiastic auction fan. welcome to partake in a meal for pickup on July 11 sponsored by Age Well and the St. Catherine’s of Siena Parish in Shelburne.

On delivery days, when large trucks would back up to the loading dock, I enjoyed watching my mother go item by item over the invoice. The truck drivers knew better than to forget an item; Stella never missed a detail!

Little did I realize how difficult a task it was for the store owner to determine how many supplies you’d need each week to have enough for customer demand. When I became the person in charge of supplies for the Williston Community Food Shelf, that skill became obvious to me.

Meals will be available for pickup from 11 a.m. to noon in the church parking lot at 72 Church St. in Shelburne. On the menu is cheese tortellini with Alfredo sauce, peas and carrots, spinach, wheat bread, watermelon and milk.

Order ahead by July 5 by emailing agewellstcath@gmail. com or calling (802) 503-1107. Provide name, address, phone number and date of birth with your order. A donation of $5 is suggested.