Growing up in Alex -- Part III

I never dreamed there'd be so much to write about growing up in a small town.
This blog entry will focus on Alexandria Main Street's second block -- the one that begins with Security State Bank on the north and ends with the Hanson County maintenance shed on the south. If you think back to those days, you will be saddened to see how little active business activity exists there today.
Just south of the bank sits Will Funeral Chapel, and before that that building housed Montgomery's Furniture, if I recall correctly. Next to it, though, sat Schmitt's Meat Market. That was back in the day when Alexandria supported two -- and if you count Clancy's Store -- three grocery stores. I don't remember much about Schmitt's other than the meat counter there. Just down the block was Haines' Hardware Store, which was a pretty neat place for a kid to check out their selection of toys.
And south of Haines' Hardware was the pool hall. That was a place for older kids and grownups to hang out. I wasn't a regular customer there until the pool hall's final years. I remember the pool tables being toward the front, with card tables in the back for the older men to play cards. You could play eight-ball, snooker, slop, or whatever pool variation you wanted. Pete Ries and Charley Sweesy are a couple of the old-timers who frequented the pool hall. I think Don Cheeseman ran the pool hall back then.
And going further south was where Folsom's GW Store was located. That was, of course, Alex's main grocery store for many years, and where Roger worked during his high school years. Even years later, when I took over the Alex and Emery newspapers -- Bob Jarding owned the store, and he later sold it to Gary Munson and Jeff Palmquist of Mitchell, and the store was renamed "Home Court Market" to emphasize their sports affiliations. That store was my destination when I had a few coins in my pocket. I vaguely remember when candy bars were a nickel, but I have a better recollection when they cost a dime. Or licorice could be bought for pennies. And way back when, us young kids collected baseball cards along with the cardboard-like chewing gum that accompanied those packs. We would trade cards, buy multiple packs -- hoping for that one special card we were lacking, and then keep our cards in a shoebox for easy reference. Sometimes, of course, the old or extra cards were clothes-pinned to our bicycle's spokes to make that engine sound. Folsom's Store was the only place I ever remember Mom driving the car. She just never drove much.
Anchoring the east side of Main Street on that block was the Hanson County maintenance shed. One of my first regular summer jobs was working for Hanson County. I remember we fixed a LOT of fence that summer -- Berno Haiar, Leonard Tuschen and I. Another memory is our work day started at 7 a.m., which meant getting up EARLY, getting my lunch together and walking the six blocks to the county shed.
West across Main Street from the bank was Bake's Barber Shop. I have fond memories of having my hair cut at Bake's. Ellsworth Baker and -- later -- Gordy Knudson were the barbers. Inside Bake's Barber Shop was like stepping into another world -- a man's world really -- with the knotty pine interior, a collection of magazines to browse while waiting your turn. And then, if you weren't tall enough for the barber chair, Bake had a green board that he set over the arm rests for you to sit on while he cut your hair. And then, at the end, there was that good-smelling stuff they rubbed into your hair. The women's beauty shop was in the back of the barber shop, and the women would pass through the main entrance on their way to their hair appointments. As I recall, hair cuts back then were $2.00.
Next door to Bake's was -- I believe at one time -- a drug store, although in later years it was the Legion Hall and was used as a meeting place for the Boy and Girl Scouts, and we even held a dance or two there. Pitts' Dry Goods Store was next door, but I don't remember much about that store other than that it was located there.
Moving farther south down that side of the street, I remember Clancy's Store, which later became Folsom's Discount Store. My only real memory of that store was that they kept Snickers Bars in a freezer there, so it was the place to go for a frozen Snickers Bar.
South of Clancy's is where Jim Davies now has his law office. I remember, though, years ago when a music store was located there. It's kind of hard to believe a small town like Alexandria ever supported such a specialty store, but I remember that store from the mid- to late '60s.
And anchoring the corner of that block was the RoseBud Cafe. We would go to the RoseBud after a game or sports practice for a pop or a sandwich. I remember eating there once or twice at noon on school days when Mom and Dad were gone.
That's my recollection of the second block of Alexandria's Main Street. There are some other businesses that I recall and I'll save them for another blog.