Closed, defunct, bankrupt, shuttered, locked, padlocked… closed for business.
: : :
Here,
in the small eastern Washington town of Washtucna (population 208)
the grocery store is closed.
J & D Groceries served this small farming community faithfully for a quarter century from 1961 until 1987,
when the business was no longer profitable.
: : :
Residents must travel
25 miles or so east to Colfax for supplies or to Othello about 15 miles west.
Not a big deal,
unless it is the dead of winter and roads are dicey and icy.
: : :
When I was a kid,
my family rented a meat locker at our local grocery store,
Dahlgreen and Massey’s in Auburn WA,
for frozen storage of our home-grown and custom slaughtered meats.
I can still remember standing with my mom and sister in the cold,
seeing my breath, puffing it out in chilly clouds,
and holding packages of meat wrapped in white coated paper,
as my mom dug through what was stored,
to be our future meals over the next week or two.
I hadn’t thought of it in years,
until I read this store sign stating
‘LOCKERS.’
: : :
I am opening Rurality Blog Hop earlier than usual.
Tomorrow is the first day of school,
for the new term, 2013-2014.
I am praying for a safe year
of driving and delivering
students at school
and at home.
: : :
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‘RURALITY BLOG HOP’ #30
Welcome to Rurality Blog Hop, a weekly photo meme!
It’s time for you to enter your photos. ‘Rurality Blog Hop’ is open to everyone who would like to share something about rural life. .
The linky will open every Wednesday morning around 09:00 Pacific Time.
Thank you for visiting and sharing!
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good luck in the new school year. the lockers memory is pretty neat. :)
And drive safely!
I hope your year is safe…and positive, Madge!
Me again! My family had lockers…I vaguely remember them as being in the local creamery. Your post brought back the cold feeling and the smell of frozen meat plus a vague odor of milk products. (I hadn’t thought of this in decades!)
Too bad the grocery could not make a go of it — love that sign and your locker memory.
Safe travels to you and your precious cargo Madge. xo
Praying it’s a safe and happy school year, Madge!
sending prayers for a safe and happy school year, for you and the kids and the faculty!
I had never heard of renting a meat locker but it sure is a good idea! :)
Good luck with the new school year and drive safely!
A fine sign to notice and shoot. I suspect “ma and pa” stores across the state are close to suffering the same fate. I’m always sorry to see another closure.
Thanks for hosting….the slice of life presented here is a reminder of where we’ve been and where we’re headed. Here’s to a great school year♫
Isn’t it interesting how our old memories come back to us with signs like this? I can’t say I remember lockers where we lived, but I do remember hearing my folks talk about purchasing meat from the local locker plant.
Thanks for hosting, and wishing you a safe and fun school year.
Beautiful old sign.
It is sad to see such things go by the wayside – lovely that we can remember them in photos.
Have a grand school year.
We see a lot of businesses like this where we live. The rural towns are dying. Excellent photo!
Have a great school year!
What great memories from that sign. It’s a shame it’s closed. Hope you have a wonderful school year!
Oh I so hope the day went well and it was uneventful! Locker rentals…this is the first I’ve seen of anything like this. I don’t have a freezer so I think I’d really like this!
Happy great school yera, best regard from belgium!