Winners and Losers prologue, part 2

[From the journal of Kevin Savacier, age 17, February 17, 1970]

     True, our town and county have had a very historic past! Antebellum structures in various states of repair are all over the place, not to mention the written record of peoples achievements here, but at the present, I see little hope for a future unless some things shape up, not the least of which is the behavior (or lack thereof) of many of our populace. Small town people being what they are, there's a lot of loose talk going around.  I've also noticed some serious prejudice from some of our white merchants, and I can't help believing that these outdated opinions led to the closing of several of our businesses which included:  McDavid's Pharmacy; Borden Distributing Company; Abbie's Fashions; Jen's five and ten cent store.
     One building that I'm concerned about in particular is the solemn old structure on the corner of Wallis and Main Street, facing Main.  Not long ago, this building housed Silverman Drug Store, anderson's hardware, the Kiwanis Hall, McLarin Jewelers, and a dancing school.  It is now completely empty, not because of the businesses closing, but because those businesses moved to other buildings.  The only store completely closed was McLarin's (the family, I'm told, having moved to New Orleans), and I really miss my buddy, Tommy McLarin, though we're keeping in touch, and he's invited me to visit him in New Orleans after school's out this summer.  Tommy recently wrote that his mom and dad inherited some family property near downtown, and recently opened another jewelry store near Canal Street.
     Meanwhile, back here in "little ole" Cole, I think our downtown situation is really pathetic.
     We do have two large banks; four grocery stores; and a large hardware store.  Also, there are three men's clothing stores, and one women's store.  A barber shop is on one end of Main Street, and a beauty parlor, a couple of blocks north of the barber shop.  If these businesses are to survive, we must support them.  "Trade at home," as the Chamber of Commerce slogan goes.
     We also have two furniture stores, four lawyers, two dentists, and three doctors, that I know of.
     Several gasoline service stations and other stores are around town, but I can't name them all.  The two cleaners and one remaining jewelry store are doing "par," it seems to me, "for the course."
     People really need to "trade at home." Don't get products elsewhere that can be gotten in Cole.
     Such things as records and mail order equipment are rare here, but there is positively no excuse to buy a car elsewhere, when we have two legitimate car dealers (one of whom will send your film off to be developed!_.
     As for the drugstores, we've two.  That's all I will say for the drugstores!
     There's not a lot to do in Cole.  My mom and dad don't have to nag me much about getting a summer job, though, as I work year round for one of our neighbors, Mr. Garton, better known to locals as "gart" or, to the younger, "Uncle Gart."  Uncle Gart runs the two movie theatres we have, and he keeps me busy on weekends alternating between the indoor theatre downtown (named, aptly, "Downtown Theatre") and the more exciting drive in theatre, a few miles south of town, called "The Auto Vue." Dad's an insurance salesman, and Mom works part time t the Chamber of Commerce, so I probably hear more than my share of gossip.  I think I'll write a lot of it down over the next few months.  For a small town, Cole has a diverse ethnic breakdown.  The way I see it, it's basically three groups: the Gentiles, composed of mostly white and colored people who attend the six churches that attractively line the main drag through town, Cotton Street,and a few churches in outlying areas.  Then, there are the Jews.   It's always been interesting to me that such a small town in rural Mississippi would have a substantial jewish population, but according to my grandparents, it was really a lot largerr in past years, and many of them intermarried and/or moved on.  Finally, there is also a distinct segment of Lebanese.  These folks are, of course, also Gentile, but I think the stories of the ones I know are interesting, lo, even spicy enough to give them their own "book," if you will, that book comprising the closing of this three part story.