Jane and Archie Snyder Only the barest kind of stock was on their shelves. There was a small metal cooler for meats and milk products. Coke usually had there own coolers. A few shelves for bread and other dry good products. Pumps out in front of the store for ethyl and regular gasoline. Jane and Archie’s store lasted long after Mrs. Karch closed her doors, but the day was coming for all mom-and-pop grocery stores. Jane and Archie’s store served the farming community of Gifford, Indiana, and remained open long after I moved away from home. There were three other country stores in the same area, but never had the business that Jane and Archie enjoyed. The Snyders were well liked, and I remember that everyone took their photos down to the store for Jane to post on her shelves for everyone to see. The old-time country store or general store was indeed the place to meet, swap stories, talk politics, argue religion, and generally gripe about rain or the lack of rain. Like the old barber shops, the old country store was a place for men and women to gather. Women would shop there, but usually left after they were finished with their shopping; it was the men who stayed around and discussed the political strategies of the day. Farm families canned most of their vegetables, butchered their own meat, milked their cows, and baked most of their own bread. So the main foods they bought were the basic ingredients like flour, sugar and salt, and sometimes sweets. By necessity, country stores like Jane and Archie’s supplied food staples, but also stocked supplies needed for the farm. The Gifford Store extended credit to many of the local farmers in the area. There are still a few country stores around today, but times have changed, and competition is tough. But memories linger on about that old country store in Gifford. Progress has a price, but sometimes at a cost; the old country store forever will be lost.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 07:02:12 +0000
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