Note: This column won the First Place award in the Serious Columnist category, weekly
newspapers, in the 2004 Florida Press Association competition.
Ray St. Louis
12/9/04
BETWEEN THE LINES
“Grandpa, come on, it’s time to go.”
“Time to go where, Billy?”
“Wal-Mart. Remember Grandpa? You promised you’d take me.”
“I did? Oh, okay; guess we’d better get in the car, then. Who’s driving, you or me?”
“Grandpa, I’m only ten.”
“Oh, that’s right. Well then, I’ll drive. Fasten your seat belt, Billy. Here we go.”
“Are we going through Old Town on the way again, Grandpa?”
“Do you want to go through Old Town, Billy?”
“I don’t mind.”
“Well, if you don’t mind, then we’ll go through Old Town.”
“You like Old Town, don’t you, Grandpa?”
“I like the memories it brings up; I like the way it use to be.”
“Here we are now, Billy – Old Town, Alachua. What do you think?”
“I think it’s kind of spooky.”
“Spooky? Why’s that, Billy?”
“There are no people, and no cars. And all the stores are empty.”
“Use to be all these stores were full, and there were lots of people and cars.”
“What happened, Grandpa?”
“Wal-Mart happened, Billy. First they built the Supercenter out by the interstate, then came a bunch
of other businesses that all built around it: restaurants, fast food joints, auto and tire stores. These
little businesses here in town couldn’t compete. They all went out of business in just a few years.”
“What did that building use to be, Grandpa?”
“Ah, that was the deli. It was one of my favorite places to eat. Good sandwiches, good soup. And
healthy, too. I always felt like I was doing my body a favor when I ate there.”
“What about that one, Grandpa?”
“That was a hunting and fishing store, Billy.”
“And that one on the corner?”
“That was our neighborhood hardware store. It was there for as long as I can remember. Nice
people. Very helpful. They were always right there to help you find what you needed, or even to
figure out what you needed in the first place.
“One time I needed to fix the plumbing on the old mobile home. I thought I needed some PVC parts.
The girl working in the store explained to me how the plastic plumbing in older mobile homes was
different from PVC and took totally different parts. I wouldn’t have known except for her.
“It’s kind of a small town thing, Billy. People are more helpful when they consider you a neighbor.
They always gave me a discount here at this hardware store because I was a regular customer,
Billy.”
“Won’t Wal-Mart give you a discount if you’re a regular customer, Grandpa?”
“They figure everyone in the world is a regular customer, Billy. They don’t have to give discounts.”
“What about the rest of these buildings, Grandpa?”
“They were mostly restaurants and gift shops. Some lasted a long time, some didn’t. But they were
always full. There use to be festivals and such, too, Billy. Music festivals, things like that. This street
was the heart of this town.”
“Here’s where you turn, Grandpa. Go left.”
“I know the way to Wal-Mart, Billy.”
“Grandpa, what did that big empty building down on the left use to be?”
“That was Hitchcock’s Foodway. The business started in this town. Now it’s in a lot of other towns
around here, but this is where it started.
“Old Mr. Hitchcock did a lot for Alachua. They even named a street for him. No matter, the store
couldn’t compete with the Supercenter so it had to go. I’m just glad the old man wasn’t alive to see
it.”
“Can we get along to Wal-Mart now, Grandpa?”
“Sure, Billy. What are you getting there today?”
“I’ve got just enough money for socks, pencils and a notepad for school, a reflector for my bike, and
a new game for my computer. And Mom gave me some money to buy raisins; she’s making cookies.”
“Well, one good thing about Wal-Mart is they’ve got a little bit of everything.”
“Actually, Grandpa, they’ve got a lot of everything.”
“Yes, Billy, I guess they do.”