The Feed Store
This particular post may not be very interesting to many of you but I want to share an important part of my childhood with you. It was the kind of childhood that so many young people don't have and I am very thankful for it.
When I was about six years old, my Daddy opened his Beeville Feed and Seed Company store. I know what year it was because that was when the movie Pinocchio came out, 1940. Mama bought a Pinocchio doll for me and I remember taking it in to the feed store to show Daddy. The doll had a long nose like the character in the story and its nose got broken on the first day I had it. I, in my confused child mind, thought it was because I had told a lie. I just didn't remember telling one. That movie made a great impression on me though because I have never been strongly tempted to tell a lie.
The feed store was rather large, (by Beeville standards anyway), and it had a flower bed along the front, large picture windows and big double doors. The main sale room was furnished with counters on the left and right. The one on the right held a Burroughs cash register and a porcelain scale for weighing small packages of seed, and the one on the left held pamphlets with agricultural information and bottles of "whatever-was-needed" to help one grow a garden or raise healthy chickens. The front of the right-hand counter had pull-out bins which held seeds for the plants pictured on the front of each one, like flowers and vegetables. Behind the left-hand counter there were steps up to a raised area where there was a double desk for the manager and the bookkeeper. Also up there was a huge safe which totally fascinated me because it was about 3'x4', black, made of cast iron and had double doors with ridges that fit together tightly when closed. Along the wall on the left were things like chicken rings, small water containers and other items for chicken farmers. The rings were made of plastic, (well probably celluloid) and were all different colors. Farmers put the rings on the chicken's leg to denote age or something I- know- not- what. When Daddy wanted to keep me busy and out of the way, I had to count chicken rings.
Directly in line with the front door was a ramp for easy maneuvering the big utility carts loaded with feed sacks to and from the back of the store. The back of the store was higher than the front and housed bags of feed piled up almost to the ceiling and it smelled of all kinds of animal feed. Not only was there a variety of smells in the air,, but there was a constant swirl of dust and chaff throughout the whole place. Along with his smoking, that didn't help Daddy's lungs.
Anyway, I was allowed the run of the place and I used to climb all over the feed sacks. The only place I couldn't go was way in the back down in what can only be called a basement and which was "verboten" to me. That was because it was the where grain was ground and mixed with molasses to make the special feed that Daddy sold. There was dangerous machinery down there running most of the day. He bought grain from the farmers which was delivered to the store in big trucks, tested, unloaded and stored in the silos in the back until needed for mixing.
To the right of the ramp was Daddy's office, a small but efficient affair with pictures of cattle and ranchers along the walls. His secretary sat to his left, took dictation and typed on an old Remington.
Well, it wasn't old then but would be now. I met many wonderful friends of Daddy's in his office, one of whom was Lincoln Borglum, who with his father, Gutzson Borglum, created Mt. Rushmore.
After Daddy's first secretary got married he hired a lady whom I did not like. Don't know why...just didn't. Anyway, one day I hid up to the right of the ramp and when she came by, I sprayed her with the fire extinguisher! Oh boy, was I in trouble! This was before I had my cattle to keep me busy.
There was a railroad shunt built along the left side of the building so that sacks of grain and loads of watermelon (when in season) could be shipped. I felt so smart having access to a train car. I used to imagine hiding in one going on a long ride to who-knows-where. Good thing I didn't try that!
I must not leave out the names of the wonderful men Daddy had working for him like Hilario, Shorty and Huicho. They were hard workers, courteous to me and Mama and they helped me practice my Spanish. They were faithful to Daddy and he treated them with respect as well.
These are wonderful memories which have served me well through the years.
When I was about six years old, my Daddy opened his Beeville Feed and Seed Company store. I know what year it was because that was when the movie Pinocchio came out, 1940. Mama bought a Pinocchio doll for me and I remember taking it in to the feed store to show Daddy. The doll had a long nose like the character in the story and its nose got broken on the first day I had it. I, in my confused child mind, thought it was because I had told a lie. I just didn't remember telling one. That movie made a great impression on me though because I have never been strongly tempted to tell a lie.
The feed store was rather large, (by Beeville standards anyway), and it had a flower bed along the front, large picture windows and big double doors. The main sale room was furnished with counters on the left and right. The one on the right held a Burroughs cash register and a porcelain scale for weighing small packages of seed, and the one on the left held pamphlets with agricultural information and bottles of "whatever-was-needed" to help one grow a garden or raise healthy chickens. The front of the right-hand counter had pull-out bins which held seeds for the plants pictured on the front of each one, like flowers and vegetables. Behind the left-hand counter there were steps up to a raised area where there was a double desk for the manager and the bookkeeper. Also up there was a huge safe which totally fascinated me because it was about 3'x4', black, made of cast iron and had double doors with ridges that fit together tightly when closed. Along the wall on the left were things like chicken rings, small water containers and other items for chicken farmers. The rings were made of plastic, (well probably celluloid) and were all different colors. Farmers put the rings on the chicken's leg to denote age or something I- know- not- what. When Daddy wanted to keep me busy and out of the way, I had to count chicken rings.
Directly in line with the front door was a ramp for easy maneuvering the big utility carts loaded with feed sacks to and from the back of the store. The back of the store was higher than the front and housed bags of feed piled up almost to the ceiling and it smelled of all kinds of animal feed. Not only was there a variety of smells in the air,, but there was a constant swirl of dust and chaff throughout the whole place. Along with his smoking, that didn't help Daddy's lungs.
Anyway, I was allowed the run of the place and I used to climb all over the feed sacks. The only place I couldn't go was way in the back down in what can only be called a basement and which was "verboten" to me. That was because it was the where grain was ground and mixed with molasses to make the special feed that Daddy sold. There was dangerous machinery down there running most of the day. He bought grain from the farmers which was delivered to the store in big trucks, tested, unloaded and stored in the silos in the back until needed for mixing.
To the right of the ramp was Daddy's office, a small but efficient affair with pictures of cattle and ranchers along the walls. His secretary sat to his left, took dictation and typed on an old Remington.
Well, it wasn't old then but would be now. I met many wonderful friends of Daddy's in his office, one of whom was Lincoln Borglum, who with his father, Gutzson Borglum, created Mt. Rushmore.
After Daddy's first secretary got married he hired a lady whom I did not like. Don't know why...just didn't. Anyway, one day I hid up to the right of the ramp and when she came by, I sprayed her with the fire extinguisher! Oh boy, was I in trouble! This was before I had my cattle to keep me busy.
There was a railroad shunt built along the left side of the building so that sacks of grain and loads of watermelon (when in season) could be shipped. I felt so smart having access to a train car. I used to imagine hiding in one going on a long ride to who-knows-where. Good thing I didn't try that!
I must not leave out the names of the wonderful men Daddy had working for him like Hilario, Shorty and Huicho. They were hard workers, courteous to me and Mama and they helped me practice my Spanish. They were faithful to Daddy and he treated them with respect as well.
These are wonderful memories which have served me well through the years.
I got really strong visuals with this description! Thank you since I never saw the feed store as a child. The picture of Grankey brought loving tears to my eyes.
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