Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Stores of Brevard

The stores in Brevard were the places where we bought everything we needed to live. My family went to Hendersonville or Asheville only occasionally. This post is about the places our families shopped, the store owners and managers and employees, what we bought or wished we could buy, and where the stores were located. Some earlier comments have touched on this topic but we have a lot more to cover.

Two major unfortunate events I remember were when the A&P and Houston's Furniture Store caught fire. Different incidents, of course. It was, also, a big deal when stores moved from one location to another. When I was in Brevard in May, I noticed that many storefronts have been remodeled, making it harder to pinpoint where the older stores used to be.

One of my favorite places when I was a kid was Rose's Dime Store. Cosmetics were near the front so the welcome was the fragrance of cheap perfume which I thought smelled wonderful. My mother had a saying about a woman "smelling like a dime store" but I didn't realize that wasn't a good thing. I loved buying tiny bottles of perfume with my allowance and hoped I "smelled like a dime store." I later learned my mother's saying was actually a criticism of a woman who wore too much perfume or cheap perfume. I was guilty of both and proud of it!

If you've noticed, over 2,500 people have visited this blog. Thanks for getting out the word. I welcome anyone, whether you lived in Brevard or not, who has a memory of town to visit the blog and leave comments.

Go Blue Devils!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Spending Money

This topic was suggested by Michael Brock (BHS 1960) and it's a good one! How did you earn your spending money when you were a kid and later as a teen? Did you start some kind of little business? What jobs did you have? Did you like your job or hate it?

I started a pot holder business when I was about eight years old. I hoofed it up to Rose's Dime Store and invested my allowance in a kit with a metal loom, something like a giant crochet hook, and big bags of colored fabric loops. After I built up an impressive inventory of patterns and colors, I hit the street peddling my craft. That's when my business fell apart. Probart Street had an unusually high population of widows and old maids who weren't about to part with a dollar, including shelling out a quarter for a potholder from an enterprising kid! No surprise - it didn't take long for me to go out of business but we never ran out of potholders!

I'm eager to hear about your money-making ventures and jobs. I know there's some good stories out there.

On a personal note, my youngest daughter (19) and I are leaving Saturday for Helsinki, Finland and Tallin, Estonia and St. Petersburg, Russia. Our primary destinations are the Hermitage Museum and the palaces of Catherine and Peter. Exciting trip!

Keep spreading the word about the blog. I'd like to get some of those early 50's BHS classes involved so if you know any of them who are online, please invite them to participate in the blog. I enjoy reading your comments and expect to find a bunch of new ones when I get back from my trip.

Go Blue Devils!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Blue Devils Name

This is more of a question than a topic. Does anybody know why our sports' teams were called "Blue Devils"? Where did the name come from and when did it begin?

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Fourth of July Picnic

While we're talking about summertime, let's include the July 4th Picnic at Camp Straus. That was the best 4th of July celebration EVER. What a great time to be a kid!!!

In nine days, over 1100 people have visited our Brevard blog. Keep spreading the word. As new people join, go back to the older posts and read their comments as well as add memories that come to you. We can't have too many comments - they spark someone else's memories.