In Galveston County, and more specifically Texas City and LaMarque, before the WalMart days there were all these great little shops. As a child I don’t remember going into any store where we were not greeted by name.
Busby’s Appliance store. When my parents got married they had an ice box. Their first arguement was over whose turn it was to empty the water pan beneath it. Dad drilled a hole in the floor in the kitchen, and put a hose in it, so that it could drain on its own, but my mother still wanted a refrigerator.
Mom had taught school but they married and came to Texas City the June after the explosion. She had not been able to find a teaching job, but she did find a job working at American Oil as librarian, setting up the engineering library.
Once she had a paycheck, she started saving to buy a refrigerator. Busby’s Appliance Store could order them. Mr. Busby told her she would have to pay for it before he would order it. He told her how much, and she presented him the money. But then, he said he could not take the money or order the refrigerator without her husband’s permission. She was incenced. She told him that it was her money that she had earned and that she didn’t need to get permission to buy anything....but he still refused to sell it to her.
My father was down at that store like a flash. He told Mr. Busby that from this day forward if his wife wanted to buy something, it was her money and he was to sell it to her no questions asked!! In later years it became a joke. Mr. Busby told her that had he known how independent she was he would have never questioned her.
Roger’s Shoe Store. This was where I got my new shoes. Getting new shoes was always a highlight for me. I dearly loved new shoes and remember standing on the yard stick regularly to see if my foot had grown so I could get new shoes. Generally I only got them for back to school. Sandals for Easter, and “Tennis” shoes for summer. Mr. Rogers always had you stand on that cold metal measuring thingy for feet. I always made sure he pushed the little button as close to my toe as it would go so I had as little growing room as possible so the wait for new shoes wouldn't be as long.
Gibby’s Photography. We have a picture at every stage of our family’s life done by Mr. Gibby. He even did the first portaits of both of my children.
Chamber’s Dress Shop. My mom bought her clothes at Chambers...... until she bought the green dress. She had always shopped there for her professional wardrobe for school. To school she wore only suits and stilletto heels...all bought at Chambers. She had to be unquestionably one of his best customers. She bought the green dress for Easter. It was almost a solid but had a tiny print of pink roses that almost seemed like dots. The zipper was the first she had ever gotten that was plastic and not metal. She asked Mrs. Chambers if it would last and Mrs. Chambers said, “Of course it will!”. Well after sitting in church, Mom stood up and the zipper had opened in the middle showing her slip. It was still zipped at the top and closed at the bottom. The dress was not tight. Monday morning she took the dress back and told Mr. Chambers what had happened. He refused to take the dress back because she had worn it. She told him it was defective, or she wouldn’t have bought it.....and she had asked if a plastic zipper would work hold up. He stood firm and would not take the dress back. He said, “I will not take back clothes that have already been worn, because people do that to take advantage of me.” Mother was furious. She told him she would never do business with him again.....and she didn’t.
Hetherington’s Jewelers. The Hetheringtons were the first couple that my father met when he came to Texas City. He bought my mother’s engagement ring there. Mr. Hetherington picked out the stones indiviually to put in her ring, as he did 31 years later for my engagement ring.
It was old world with large glass and mahogany display cases. As you stepped into the store the cases lined the walls from the front all the way to the back of the store. Across the back of the store was the jewelers office, which was more like a little booth. Behind the glass window were all the magnifying glasses and all of the jewelers tools. In the back right hand side of the store were all the different patterns of china and crystal, on glass shelves, with lights above that made them sparkle. As a child I would stand and watch the brides pick out their treasures and dream about when it would be my turn to be a bride. I knew always I would pick out my ring and all my china at Hetherington’s when I got engaged.
When we went to pick out my ring it was the first time Jim had ever been on time anywhere. By the time we left the store Mrs. Hetherington had alerted the entire town that I was engaged......
My parents and the Hetherington’s remained dear friends until the Hetherington’s died. I dearly loved going in their shop.
Meredith’s Shoe Store. I went to daycare at Mrs. Hudnalls as did the Meredith’s son, Kelsey. Mom started shopping there for shoes after the “Chamber’s Incident”.
Benjamin Franklin’s. This was where Sally Hudnall and I went to buy our pet turtles. The one she picked out had orange back legs and they were paralyzed....(how safe was that and what strange malady did that turtle have???) Both turtles lived many years and we had a lot of fun playing with them.
Rocks
I think this was the right name. The thing that stands out in my mind was that the store had wooden floors. When you walked in....even a little kid made “clomp, clomp, clomp” sound with each step. It was one of those places you didn’t think about but it was just always there. After graduating from college, my first job was as a merchandise manager trainee at JCPenney in Baytown, Texas. My store manager called to me from the office one day to tell me that part of downtown Texas City was on fire. When I came home the next time, I saw that the old Rocks store had burned down.
Tots to Teen...I remember my mother shopped there for me, but more importantly the dreaded Dr. JoAnn’s office was above that place.
Show Boat Theater. When we lived on 13th Avenue North, Judi Faulk and I would walk down to the ShowBoat to see Elvis Presley Movies. When I was about 4 and Judi was 9, we had walked down to the show. We didn’t return for 4 hours. Our mothers were heading down the street to find us when they met us coming home. It turns out that afternoon it had not been an Elvis Presely movie but rather WAR AND PEACE....
Fuller’s Pharmacy. We only had one car until I got my driver’s license. So after school, Mom and I would stop by Fullers to get a coke and wait for dad’s car pool to drop him off there. Oh the debates and arguements we witnessed! Bonnie Joslin, Thelma Kirby and later Pam Ryman worked at the counter. I always noticed the cute guys that worked there as delivery boys, Danny Anderson and John E. Mac most notabley.
Was there another florist in town? If there was, my mother certainly didn’t know about it, or had no interest in using it. It was next to Floyd’s Pharmacy.
The Pelican Club
I dearly loved going there. The waters wore waist coats and memorized your order, and got it right even if you changed it. That is where Jim and I went on one of our first dates (we only dated for two weeks before we got engaged). It was also the first fancy place we took our daughter to dinner when she was three years old. We rehearsed for several days on how to act grown up at a fancy restaurant. When we got ready to leave she asked the Maitre ‘d if he had been impressed....
The Stahl. We bought my clothes in LaMarque when I got older. The first thing I ever put on lay-a-way was there. It was a black pleated skirt that cost $8. I paid $1 down and 50 cents a week forevvvveeeeerrr.
Eibands. This had to be my favorite old store. It was in downtown Galveston in a very old, probably turn of the (20th) century building. It had several floors and an elevator operator. The floors were wooden so that when you walked it made a clomp clomp. There were conversation seating areas throughout the store, sofa coffee table, end tables and chairs. Also there were ash trays where my dad usually sat and smoked while my mother shopped. When I got engaged, Mom and I went there to buy my wedding dress. They took us into a separate room, away from the public shopping. It was huge. Along the walls were wedding dresses hanging in nooks like closets and in between the nooks were mirrors. The carpet was a pale blue. I felt like a princess in wonderland. Mom and I were the only ones in the room and three different ladies took turns bringing out wedding dresses for me to try one. It was truly one of the most memorable days I ever spent with my mom....I had dreamed of having just such a day with my daughter......
Sears, Galveson.
Sears is just....well Sears. Back then it was on the boulevard going into Galveston. The reason I remember this one so well though is because it was the first time I had ever seen or ridden on an escalator. I was totally amazed. I must have been about 5 years old. To this day every time I pass by that building (no longer Sears of course), I still wonder if that escalator is still there.
Bosticks It was around the corner from Oak Park, where we lived. I dont’ remember anything particularly noteable about it except that it was the first place I ever ate shrimp.
Wish I remembered the name but In the same strip center with Bosticks around the corner was a bakery owned by a Dutch man, As I remember it he made sugar cookie that were huge (they seemed to me at 6 years old, the size of a dinner plate, but am sure they were smaller). The baker would always say, “Why do you name such a pretty little girl “
Yan” a boy’s name?”
