"HEAVEN----FULL OF HARDWARE STORES...."

WITH POT--BELLIED STOVES, CHECKER--
   PLAYERS...AND HELPFUL CLERKS!
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Come with me, in your memory, back to
    old Clovis, and Barry Hardware
at Fourth and Main, northeast corner---
    A splendid place, in the twenties
thirties, forties, fifties...
    Especially for little kids! (But...it was
not planned for little kids.)

There are probably worn places in the
    sidewalk where boys stood and
gawked through Barry's big windows.

I never knew who Barry was, but he had
    a counter-full of pocket knives,
which I never could afford; they were
    only $5.95 each, but who ever
had that much money?

Wylie says, when you came to town
    from Running Water Draw
to buy a part for a windmill, Barry
    always had it, tho' there were
a hundred windmill companies then.

Barry's, strangely, has historical memories
    for me, as a boy. One April day, a sixth
grade kid (me), needing a bolt and nut
    for my bicycle basket---It was 1945 and
I rode from La Casita, down Fourth, went
    into Barry's...a cluster of folks,
clerks and all, were gathered around
    an old radio...(someone was weeping)...
and someone whispered to me:
    "F.D.R. has died at Warm Springs."

Barely four months later, coming out of
    the Lyceum Theater on a mid-August
Saturday afternoon, a KICA Radio
    Station van was in the middle of
Main Street, and I stood there on
    Barry's corner, and the loudspeaker
said: "THE JAPS HAVE SURRENDERED."

I have seen many photos and paintings
    of ancient hardware stores, where old-timers
were cozily playing checkers, on barrel--tops
    by pot--bellied wood stoves.

They had low ceilings, and quaint decor---
    The clerks were friendly and helpful---
The stores were not thirty feet high, like todays…

      Covering a half acre; aisles from-home
to-first-base-long....as stores now, where if
    you get lost,
they won't find you, 'til spring...

Today, it seems to be like the old funny
    Texas Ranger joke, "ONE RIOT---ONE
RANGER!" tho' now it is;
     "ONE STORE---ONE CLERK." You're
lucky if you see---one clerk.

Sometimes one's soul just hankers
    for a good "old-timey" hardware store.
They had one in Childress where I
    once lived; it was kinda like Barry's.
One day, I bought a bone-handle
    pocket knife in there, for $6.95.
It was a CASE brand. Still have it...

In our city, in the fifty years we've lived
    here, we've lost some good ones
We loved Baldridges. And there was once
     a store down on Wyoming that specialized
in old Dutch ovens, churns, and items
    from frontier days.

Things are looking up this side of
    heaven....today BE was in Home
Depot, and tho' it is big and has a
   high ceiling...and no old timer-checker
players---still there were clerks galore
    on every-other aisle, saying "May
I help you?" A miracle!

Not only that but would you believe
    we now have a nice ordinary-size
hardware store three blocks north of
   our house! It is an ACE.

Yes, I know we kids who grew up in
    Clovis were spoiled with all the
best: Barry's, Woolworth's, Busy Bee,
    Snazzy Pig, El Monterrey, Lyceum,
and Coney Island...

And I have heard people say: "There
    just has to be fishing in heaven..."
"There just has to be golf in heaven...."
    I've even (yes) heard "beer in
heaven..."

Me, I'll just settle for some old-fashioned
     hardware stores, with pot-bellied
stoves, and old-timers playing checkers...
     Might even join them for a game...

And a good POCKET KNIFE counter
     would be nice!

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BY MIL
6/07/14