A few weeks ago I had a book signing in a small community nearby.  The establishment was called Beeker’s General Store.  When I walked in the front door, it was like going back in time.  I mean like 50 years ago, maybe even more.

    There was one wide aisle through the store with mountains of stuff on both sides from the floor to the ceiling.  The floors were wooden and well worn.   They rattled and squeaked with each person that walked in.  This store had everything; yard goods,nails, homemade breads and cookies, penny candy(of course it wasn’t a penny anymore), canning jars, antiques, hand made hankies, and so much more.  They even had old hats, gloves, and scarves that would certainly please a fashionable young lady in the forties.

     I counted over 75 different old-fashioned candies.  They had wax bottles with juice in them, candy cigarettes, Fireballs, Necco wafers, Skybars, Chuckles, button paper, Black Jacks, and edible lipstick.  I found Sugar Daddys and Sixlets and so much more.

     I remember when I was a kid, many,many years ago, my firend, Judy and I would take my old Radio Flyer wagon all around the neighborhood looking for pop bottles that had been tossed on the roadside.  We got 2 cents for a regular glass bottle and a nickle for each quart bottle.  There were no plastic bottles back then, they all had return deposits so they could be used again.  What a concept.

     In an hour or so we had enough bottles to turn in.  We walked about 2 miles to the Crossroad Store.  There we found many of the same candies that Beeker’s General Store had.  However, this penny candy really was a penny.  A full sized candy bar was a nickel.  Now the Snickers, Chuckles, Sky Bar and Sugar Daddy go for 85cents.

     I know times have changed and prices have gone up, but I certainly enjoyed my little trip to the past.  Even if I did spend $5.00 on my penny candy.