Malinda, the Entrepreneur

I was thinking about all the small stores in Peru.  There were a couple of them on every block.  They would turn the family garage into a 7-11.  You could buy soda pop, candy bars, soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, bread, cheap toys…maybe 200 SKUs in all.  And no computer or even cash register to keep track of things.  The employees were mom and the older children.

Then I got to thinking that my Grandmother Esplin had a similar set-up.  As a young widow with five children in the early 1930s, she needed to do something to provide for herself.  Here’s the story as told by her daughter Cleone:

Mamma had a route of Glendale, Orderville and Mt. Carmel (about seven miles from one end to the other) where she and us girls would go to the homes and take orders for hosiery of all kinds, and some spices and flavorings.  Excelsis products they were called.  We would walk to the town in the morning, take the orders, and walk back home in the afternoon, always sure to be home before dark  We never just one went.  Much of the time Velna and I would go.

This brought in a little income, so Mamma decided to try setting up a little store with hosiery, Excelsis products, and a line of five-and-ten-cent jewelry.  Aunt Anne’s brother, Bill Turcsansci, was a manager in the Salt Lake City Kress’ store.  He would pick out a good selection of jewelry items that would sell in Orderville, send them via parcel post, and she would mail him the check when the items and bill arrived.

This worked out very well for quite some time, and we were able to sell lots of the fun things that you normally had to go to Salt Lake City for.

Now, for the remodeling of the once-kitchen for the five and dime store.  I think Mamma and Uncle Howdy did the work.  It was nothing fancy, just a new coat of paint, some wide lumber shelves, a little counter for wrapping or bagging some items.  Mamma had it organized neatly and kept it clean.  I don’t remember tending the store much.  There wasn’t that much business, and Mamma was home much of the time and would hear the door open if she was in another room.

All the girls in town were steady customers.  They loved to get the Kress’ of Salt Lake jewelry.

(from Cleone’s Life Story, by Cleone Esplin Judd, December 25, 2009)