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)
1 comment:
Fun story! It's great to hear stories of people who figure out a way to make things work.
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