Smokey Hollow was more than a place to live. It was a place for businesses as well including wood yard, grocery stores, a taxi stand, and cafes. Smokey Hollow residents stayed within their community for what they needed. Cafés were very popular at the time. There were several different ones for Smokey Hollow residents to choose from such as House of Blue Lights and Paul Hunt’s Café. Walter Johnson, a former Smokey Hollow resident, joked about Paul Hunt, “He must have been Nassau or Geechie” because Hunt used to say “mon I got chicken & rice, mon I got stew beef and rice, mon I got everything.” One could purchase a generous meal for 25 to 50 cents a plate. For the ones who decided to eat from home, grocery stores provided Smokey Hollow residents’ food for their kitchen table. Costa’s and Barfield’s Grocery was the most successful for a while. Then, Bob Nims arrived with his own grocery store located at the corner of Highway 27 and Suwannee. His store had everything from lard, flour, peas and sugar. Vesta Dean, former Smokey Hollow resident, explained how “that was where we used to get most of our groceries from.” Residents purchased food only by the pound due to the lack of packaged items in the store. Nims store not only brought customers, but also the rest of the community. Many residents would come to listen to the radio there especially when Joe Louis Fights were on. Juke Joints were the center of night activity. Many Smokey Hollow residents went to them, but it was not a place for children due to the brawling and drinking. The Smokey Hollow’s Old Folk’s Home provided a rest stop for railroad workers. Johnson said, “They get their whiskey and get drunk” after a long day of work. Other juke joints were around the area such as Big Brown Belt and Little Brown Belt. With all of these different nightlife scenes, the sounds of the jukes echoed throughout Smokey Hollow Friday through Monday. Smokey Hollow was not only a place for homes. It was a thriving community with businesses run by the same people from the community. Vote for the Smokey Hollow Commemoration for the AIA Florida People’s Choice Award to continue to preserve its memory. Vote here as many times as you want: ow.ly/ze1MM #ihearttally
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 15:26:50 +0000
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