This past Saturday morning I was out before daylight headed to watch ducks fly. I was by myself enjoying the solitude and peacefulness that can only be found away from the busyness of this world. I could hear the sound of wood ducks squealing up in the sky. It was a marvelous sight to behold.
I left that old cypress pond with a smile on my face. I went to the dog kennels to see about all of my four-legged babies. After I finished my chores at the kennels, I got in the truck headed to Swainsboro to run some errands. As I passed through Summertown, I looked over at the old store building that has stood for many, many years and my mind began to wander.
That old store was built long before I made my debut on this earth. It has stood the test of time. In its more recent history, it has received a facelift as the old, red bricks have been painted grey and those old doors were replaced with a newer model. I’m certain that shiny new glass door does not have the familiar sound of those doors Mr. Jack put in years ago.
J.A. Bishop General Merchandise was its given name for all those years prior. If Mr. Jack did not have it, well, you didn’t need it. I started going to that store as a child with my daddy. We would go in search of a board or a few nails or whatever we happened to need at the time. Mr. Jack truly had it all, everything from rubber boots to bologna or shingles and sausage. Whatever was needed, he tried to provide it.
Mr. Jack did not get started initially in this location. He had a Ford Model T and went to Augusta to sell bundles of fat lighter during the Depression Era. He would deliver the bundles of fat lighter to the Chinese community that was there. They used those short pieces of fat lighter to heat their woks with.
He would buy four tires and sell them on his way back home to pay for the gas he used to make the trip. He would make it to the top of those hills along the highway, cut the motor off and coast down to the bottom. I am certain he did this in order to save gas because he had a great understanding of the value of a dollar. Frugal does not begin to describe Mr. Jack and who he was.
Also, while in Augusta he would buy socks and other items which were not readily available in the country. Upon his return home, he would sell whatever goods he had acquired. This practice ultimately turned into a rolling store business. Rolling stores were a very common thing back then.
Folks lived in the country and had little to no means of transportation, so they were dependent upon the rolling stores. Mr. Jack was there to help, as he made his rounds selling goods out of some old vehicle. Although I don’t know the exact timeline, eventually he built the store building in Summertown which is still standing today.
Mr. Jack did not do it all alone, he had Miss Ruby by his side from the very beginning. They were married when she was just seventeen. Mr. Jack and Miss Ruby went to South Carolina to get married because she was too young in the state of Georgia. Ultimately, they were married for seventy-three years. What a testament to their shared devotion for one another.
As I got older, I continued to go to that old store, get whatever I needed and visit with Mr. Jack and Miss Ruby. I can picture the inside of that old store and how it was all laid out. Miss Ruby kept that floor swept clean, I believe you could have eaten off of it. Although there was a cash register that sat atop that well-worn counter, Mr. Jack figured everything with a pencil and a piece of paper.
They spent a lifetime serving their community and operating a business in the ways of old. We don’t have many people left who operated the way they did all those years. It is a by-gone era of people and customs. I am so thankful I got a glimpse of how things were done long before my time. I owe a debt of gratitude to Mr. Jack and Miss Ruby.
Later on in my life, I opened a restaurant in Midville and Mr. Jack started coming at the very beginning. I opened for lunch at eleven every day. Without fail, for as long as he was able, he would pull up out front at eleven sharp. He would say “sonny boy” what you got for lunch today? He referred to all younger males as “sonny boy”.
As I said earlier, he understood the value of a dollar, especially his dollar. He had every intention of getting more than his money’s worth. He would walk in toting a box. Bear in mind he was only buying one plate. One plate for him and Miss Ruby to share. He needed that box to put it all in.
I would fix his take-out plate with more than enough for them both. He would get a salad, dessert and as many crackers as he could hold. I would fix tea for him as well. Back then, I charged five dollars for lunch. You can rest assured he got his five dollars’ worth.
I continued to do business with him as well, but rest assured he always got the long end of the stick. I was in his store one day, buying whatever and after he figured it all up on that piece of paper, I paid him. Then I looked at him and said “Mr. Jack, you know when you die you can’t take all that money with you.” He replied, “I know it sonny boy, but Ruby’s going to bring it when she comes.”
