Beyond the “Sunbeam Bread” screen door were rows of wooden shelves filled with once-common brands, barrels of dried beans, and bins of fresh local produce. There was a rack of country hams and a refrigerated meat case filled with everything from steaks, pork chops, and whole chickens to pig’s feet, ox tails, and chitlins.
Just inside, glass bottles of Nehi Grape, Orange Crush, and RC Cola could be found suspended in a metal drink box of ice-cold water. The checkout counter, there was only one, had no moving belts or scanners just a mechanical cash register and a front filled with bins of candy.
Before shopping malls, supermarkets, or fast food, this was where groceries were bought accompanied by an exchange of gossip. Once every neighborhood had its own grocery and I grew up with such a store owned by my grandparents.
catching a moment
and holding it forever . . .
an old photograph
— Dan Hardison
Frogpond
vol. 41:3 fall 2018
