I can remember when purchases, no matter how small, were delivered the day of purchase with no thought ever being given of charging for the service. Merchants were happy to have our business in those days.
Today you sometimes have to wait for days for your purchase, and also pay a hefty delivery fee. I think the delay in delivery is because they are lining up other deliveries in your area which compounds their profit.
This is just another example of how times have changed over the years, and sometimes change isn't all that good.
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I think what really got me to thinking about this was when Don Walser and I attended L.J. Bobo's funeral recently. We were reminiscing about L.J. and our time working with him at Carolina Tire & Appliance in the 1950's.
Don was the store manager and L.J. and I, worked with him. Don and I agree that L.J. was one of the hardest, and most dedicated, workers we have ever known.
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Back then when people bought appliances and televisions we delivered them immediately.
I climbed many a roof with L.J. installing television antennas. You must remember, this was before cable. There were only about three or four television stations to watch even when the antenna was installed correctly.
The antenna had to be located in just the right direction or you got “snow” instead of a picture.
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Speaking of snow, I remember the time L.J. and I were installing an antenna on a very high roof in Santuc when it began snowing heavily. We completed the job before coming down probably to keep from having to climb that high roof another day.
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Bob and Fran Love live there now, and that roof hasn't reduced in height one bit.
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My friend Eddie Wayne Davis is a collector of many things including photographs and movies featuring old time cowboys.
He brought a picture by the office the other day that he had found at a flea market. The picture of Rocky Lane, who played Red Ryder, and his horse Black Jack, brought memories of those Saturday morning visits to the Rialto Theater.
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After Eddie Wayne left I looked Lane up on the internet and learned he was also the voice of Mr. Ed, the talking horse on the popular “Mr. Ed” television series in the 1960's.
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In addition to the picture Eddie Wayne brought along a framed two-sided advertisement from Kirby's Products Co. that was on Fike Avenue when we were growing up.
The interesting thing about the ad is that it features descriptions and line drawings of 32 different beauty, skin, hair, and creme items, all of which Kirby's sold for between 25 and 40 cents.
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Kirby's Products was owned by Mr. Hydrick Kirby whose home and business was on the mill hill but he did not work for the mill company.
Mr. Kirby established Gully Bug Park and playground behind his house where community events were held including outdoor movies, games, suppers and other events. It was used daily by kids and grownups alike.
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Ever so often I run into someone who remembers Poplar Spring that was near Union Mill.
I've written several times about wondering where the spring is and have been told by several people that it was covered over when additions were added to the mill years ago. Some say it is still there underground and feeding into the mill pond.
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The first I knew of the spring was when I read a history of Grace Methodist Church by Miss Fannie Lee Sparks. Miss Sparks said that a Methodist church was located where the mill office and store building was later built on N. Enterprise Street.
In her account of the church, that was there in 1826 when Union was a village known as Unionville, she tells about a spring being located nearby. She said members of the church “slaked” their thirst at Poplar Spring, and that “many a group of young people assembled in the times of all day meetings and old fashioned singing schools.”
The church was the forerunner of Grace Methodist.
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