Hello all. I live in Hinton, Va., (a small dot that usually only appears on local maps) which is in the Shenadoah Valley. 5 miles to the east of us is the city of Harrisonburg. Back in the early 1960's, when I was just leaving my toddler stage and becoming aware of things outside of myself and my family, going to Harrisonburg on Saturdays was a cultural, educational experience. We weren't rich, but just easing out of poverty, and if you combed my hair, a few hayseeds would fall to the ground. Most consumer activities revolved around Court Square in Harrisonburg. Court Square is what it sounds like, a court house in the middle of the town, surrounded by four streets which can be walked around in three minutes. It was compact, but in that little square was a J.C. Penneys, a Woolworth, a W. T. Grants, a McCroy store, and various local businesses. There were no strip malls, or covered malls, just other businesses leading off to the four winds from Court Square.
There was blind man who supported his family by playing an accordion and singing, usually in front of Penneys or McCroys, always giving a fast "Thank you," at the sound of a coin dropping into a small tin cup attached to his instrument. It was always a special gift to us kids when our parents gave us a nickel, dime, or quarter to drop into his cup. When downtown dried up and moved to malls, he disappeared because the mall managements didn't want him begging at their establishments. But he wasn't begging, he was an artist performing to a loving audience.
McCroy's had a wooden floor, and as a child I loved to roam the store discovering places where the floor would squeak. They made the best fries, but the floor at the "restaurant" was linoleum (think I spelled that wrong). Woolsworth had the best burgers and fountain drinks. Those cokes were liquid gold compared to the dregs we drink in cans and plastic bottles. I liked to sit at the counter stools rather than the soft, fat cushioned booths, because I could twirl around on the stools. And if we were good, we could go to the candy counter and get a nickels worth of malt balls, chocolate covered peanuts, or my gosh, it seemed like a thousand different types of candies. A nickel's worth of malt balls would halfway fill a small, brown paper bag. Woolworth, Grant's, and McCroy each had a candy counter conveniently located in front of the toy section and next to the luncheon section. Genius marketing.
The smells of the food, the mingling of the different economical and social classes, and the celebrations of seasons and holidays made downtown department stores magical. The only sad thing I recall is that people of color had special sections to sit at some stores or weren't even welcomed at others. Now it taints my memory a bit, but that too was an education for me that ,thank God, my children have not experienced. Take care.