[Homestead] Grocery Co-ops

Don Bowen don.bowen at earthlink.net
Wed Jan 10 11:49:41 EST 2007


At 1/10/2007, you wrote:
>ANITA, Iowa - The grocery stores that lined Main Street were always key to the
>little farm town of Anita, Iowa.

I grew up in the fifties, not that many miles from there in Missouri.  The 
small town had about 2000 residents but the surrounding area had many more 
on farms of 300 acres or so.  The town square was lined with businesses, a 
Ben Franklin, Western Auto, IGA, Chevy dealer, bank, NAPA, Rexall, 
etc.  There were three good sized grocery stores in town,six 
eateries,  four taverns, cheese factory, four tractor dealers, etc.

I was there last fall and there is just one grocery store, poorly stocked 
as it was.  Only one tavern, one implement dealer, three eateries.  The 
square had more empty store fronts than full and none of the names were 
national.  Population of the town was still around 2000 but many fewer 
farmers with a typical farm now closer to 1500 acres.  We farmed 250 acres, 
my cousin now farms 1600.

As we drove around I remember many small gas stations and what would now be 
called mini marts.  These places were where farmers would gather for a cold 
drink, a bit of gasoline, local news, maybe a roll of bailer wire.  Again 
this last fall as I drove around all of those little places are gone, I 
could not find a one I remembered from the early sixties.

In the fifties there were many abandoned store fronts in the weeds or along 
side the road.  Even then I had an interest in history and would ask my 
father about them.  He told of small stores where people on horses could 
shop, get mail, use the telephone and later get a few gallons of 
gasoline.  He told of small blacksmith and repair shops that were there to 
help a farmer get back in the field after something broke.  He also told of 
dances in upstairs dance halls with local bands making up in noise what 
they lacked in ability.  That all disappeared after the war with better 
cars, cheaper gasoline, first radio then television.

My uncles ran a welding and Diesel repair shop in an even smaller 
town.  They had all the business they could manage and there competition 
just down the road.  That is all gone and no one in that small town 
provides those services, you now have to drive 20 miles.  I spoke with 
several people who told me of how in the middle of harvest you could get 
someone to fix a piece of machinery quickly and now you have to call out an 
expensive service truck or take the part to town, eating up several hours.


Don Bowen              Awl Knotted Up                       KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com
My travel journal
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html

I am omnivagant.  


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