Today I read that one of the few Kmarts in our small mountain town is closing their doors. I love Kmart…always have! Unlike one of their competitors (starts with a W) I never have to ask twice for assistance. Customer service has always been a priority and any concern is resolved in a respectful manner.

I’ve lived in Western North Carolina for 26 years and I’ve watched many good stores leave our area and/or go out of business.

Let me share two of my favorites….

Years ago, we had a discount drug store called Phar-Mor. I will ALWAYS be grateful to a pharmacist who most likely saved my first born son’s life. My son was in college at the time. One day he became very ill and went to the college infirmary. The Doctor on duty that day prescribed two medications. My son called home to tell me what the Doctor had prescribed. I told him NOT to fill his prescriptions until I consulted with the Phar-Mor pharmacist. She was the best person in town to answer any medical questions. I wanted to check the possible side effects of the two drugs. (This was before the internet.) I called the pharmacist and told her the two medications that had been prescribed. She asked, “Was your son seen by a board certified Doctor?” I told her I was sure he was a real Doctor. She told me that those two drugs, if taken together, could have been fatal. I was very upset and reported the incident to the school immediately.

We used to have a store in my neighborhood called Roses.  They still exist but not in our town. With 4 young kids, (at the time) I was really into couponing. They used to advertise triple coupon days. It was actually possible to fill up your cart and pay practically nothing! The cashiers always made a big deal out of your savings and announced it for everyone in line to hear!

Watching another good store close down made me miss the good old days. Here are some of my BEST childhood memories. I remember these stores (and my shopping experiences ) like it was yesterday!

Who could forget a double dip ice cream cone for .10 cents at the A&P grocery store? One scoop was a nickel!

My first lipstick purchased at Woolworths for .25 cents. My saleslady was Hazel. She knew all the girls by name!

The Teen Shop where my Dad bought me 2 pairs of Capris because I couldn’t decide which color I wanted. (They were expensive for 1962…$4.00 a pair.) It was a Father-daughter outing and I never forgot it!

Stride Rites …My mother would take all 5 children at one time and purchase our school shoes and dress shoes. I remember the first time I was allowed to have party shoes without a strap in the front. That was a HUGE moment!

Big Girl’s Shoes

Food Fair…I remember when I was about 10 and the gumball machine broke. I put in a  penny and all the gum poured out. The store manager gave my friend and I two paper bags and told us we could have all the gum. We divided it up and chewed it for weeks! I hid my stash under my bed because my Mother didn’t approve of too much sugar.I probably could list many more good old days shopping experiences. I find it amazing how as you get older you can remember things that happened decades ago but forget what you did yesterday!