By Ricky Rieckert
This week, I’m starting on N. Farnsworth and E. New York Street moving north.
At the southwest corner, of Liberty Street was a small grocery store called the Bread Box.
Don, who was Greek, I believe, owned it for many years, since I was a little boy.
My grandfather and grandmother lived kitty corner to the store and as a kid, I would wander over to the store, while visiting.
Don always kept the pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters full, in the cash register.
He never closed the drawer.
I remember in the late 1960s, I would have a dollar to spend.
I would always buy the silver dimes and buffalo nickels. I would have him skim the drawer trays looking, when he didn’t have a customer. Until he got irritated with me.
He sold everything there, from meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, pop, bread, and candy.
Now, we’re moving up north on Farnsworth Avenue, at the Burlington Northern train tracks.
Right by, was the old Austin Western Machinery Company, that made Road Tractor machines.
They used to be at ground level when I was a kid, way before the overpass was put in.
There was a terrible roadway that was probably 1,000 feet to get across.
The railings would go down as the red lights would flash.
On the weekends , sometimes my family would go for a ride, and we would get stuck there waiting 20 to 30 minutes.
During the weekdays it was terrible, but people got used to it.
North of there, on the West Side, before Sheffer Road was a strip mall that had a Coast to Coast Hardware Store.
They had a lot of things to buy or to get service done.
Moving north of Indian Trail, on the West Side was a Hardee’s, which was closed by the owner and then it became Goodie’s Restaurant.
Someone looks to be opening up sometime in the future.
I think there is even a name on the building.
Have a great week.
See you next week.