Butch Has Fond Memories of Local Businessmen

    A few years ago, I listed all of the local “Mom and Pop” businesses that were located on Main Street in my hometown when I was a youngster. There was an interesting group of owners, all with unique personalities. Let me tell you about a few of these people…

   Raymon and Grace Brown owned the restaurant, in addition to the furniture store. Since Raymon was the 6th grade teacher at my school, Grace did most of the work at the cafe during the day, with the help of her daughter Marilyn and some part-time gals. Grace was a very kind and soft-spoken lady. Raymon was very strict in school. You were expected to complete your lessons and do what he said…or else you might be standing out in the hallway…bent over and waiting for a “whack!” During school, he was “Mr. Brown,” but outside of school he was just “Brownie” to most people, as laid back and nice as could be. I am glad I had him as my teacher. I always respected him, and I addressed him as “Mr. Brown” all the rest of his life.

  The drug store was owned by Gene and Mary Ellen Harmon. Gene’s nickname was “Slick,” and Mary Ellen’s nickname was “Pee Wee.” I never knew what her real first name was until many years later. Their store carried hundreds of items, but it was mostly a place to enjoy a fountain drink, ice cream or cup of coffee…and catch up on the latest happenings around town. Gene had a dry sense of humor, and he was an astute businessman who liked to buy and sell items he had purchased at auctions and flea markets. Pee Wee was very outgoing and just really enjoyed talking to people. Mary Hankins was a sweet long-time employee who enjoyed visiting and giving motherly advice to all of the youngsters.

   Down the street was Emil “Slim” Greve’s barbershop. Slim had been cutting hair since the 1930s. Since he only charged $1.25 for a haircut, he also drove a school bus for many years for extra income. There was usually always a couple of “loafers” sitting in there shooting the breeze and telling tall tales. I’m pretty sure that was Hal Royer’s second home. Slim had hundreds of comic books in the front window shelf for kids to read while waiting. In the late ‘50s on Saturday afternoons during the winter, the radio was tuned in to a Purdue basketball game, as Slim’s relative, Bill Greve from Waveland, was the star player for the Boilermakers. At one time Slim had been one of the barbers at the old pool room, and it was there that he had served me my very first ice cream cone when I was a little whippersnapper…and I swear that every time anyone else was at the barbershop when he was cutting my hair…Slim told that story!

   Next door to the barbershop was Warren Appliances, owned by Alva Warren and his son, Damon “Mutt” Warren. “Alvie” manned the counter, while Mutt did the installation and repair of appliances. I accompanied my father there many times, as Mutt was Dad’s best friend since their high school days. Both served in the army during WWII, and both of them could tell stories and jokes non-stop. I got quite an education from those two…many things they never taught in school! During most of the year Alvie often sat outside on the wooden bench, or inside near an old pot-bellied stove during the winter, smoking a cigarette he had rolled by hand. He enjoyed talking to everyone. Alvie had served in both WWI and WWII, and I listened with fascination to his stories.

  In the 1950s, across the street from the barbershop was the Sunshine Theater, owned by Charles Marshall. “Charlie” was one of the town’s most enterprising men. He also owned other businesses, including the Darlington Herald weekly newspaper, and he served on the town council and several other organizations. After the lights were dimmed, during the movie Charlie would regularly stroll down the aisle, head held high, looking to and fro, for any kid who was goofing off or had their feet on the back of the seat in front of them. Charlie’s wife, Pauline, was a teacher at Ladoga, so she spent her evenings at home grading papers. Charlie’s sister took tickets. High school kids sold popcorn and candy, and one ran the projector. Charlie’s son, John, became a TV advertising executive and writer in California. Charlie’s daughter Janet became a college dance educator and choreographer in Illinois.

   Kids today have very little contact with Mom and Pop businesses because a majority are chains or franchises. The people who work there are just faces to them. As a kid growing up, the business owners knew me and my family. They were real people…When Janet Marshall Boeh passed away in 2009, her obituary stated, “Janet often expressed how she cherished her Darlington roots and considered herself truly blessed to have grown up in a most idyllic place and time.” I feel the same way. Stay tuned, and I’ll tell you about a few more people the next time….

John “Butch” Dale is a retired teacher and County Sheriff. He has also been the librarian at Darlington the past 36 years, and is a well-known artist and author of local history.