Document text
ialfe History)
COTINUITY
February 16, 1939
J. Buford Dudley (white)
124 Thomas St.
Athens, Ga.
Ecrchant
Grace EcCune, writer
BARGAIN HOUSE
As I walked down a side street in the business section of
town, looking for _something interesting to get a story about, a
large sign swinging out in front of a store drew my attention.
Fastened on a rod, it was swinging in the wind and boldly announc-
ing to the world that "7very day is a Earain
day here."
In the window was a dis;aay-of most everything that is carried
in a dry good and ready to tear 1 -,tore. Yet it was very neat and attra-
c-,,ive to be such a small window, and in one corner of the window .was
a small sign, which read "old and used clothing, bought and sold as
well as the latest styles out."
It looked interesting and thinking: I might be able to et a good
story here, I opened the door and went in. A tall, well dressed man,
was waitin,7 on a customer showinL him children's overalls. Seeing
no one else in the store I looked around at the different thn,s and
how they .were arranged.
It is a small store and most every bit of the floor space is
used for either a table or show case.
On the right as you go in the
door is a long rack on which is a display of men and boy's suits, and
just beyond that is the shelves for shoes. Also a small wrang table
with a small cash register on it.
On the left was ladies hats, dresses, and dry goods. At the
back of the narrow room was a lc/IL; rack of second hand clothing.
In
2.
the front was a glass show case in w.ich was displayed hose, ladies
underwear and baby clothes. On two long tables at the back of the
show case was the overalls, mens trousers and some piebe goads. .A
small rack of childrens silk and wash dresses was also on the left
side of the store.
As the customer went lout with his overalls, the man came to
me and asked what be could show me. I replied that I was just wait-
ing for him and asked if he:was the proprietor of the store. He
replied that he was. I. then explained that it WaS my first visit to
his store and why I came in. He laughed, then said, "That -old sign
is a very good drawing card as it brings in new customers most revery
day. But how do you like my little store? I only opened it last
August, but I have done pretty good. I bought out a man that only
sold and bought second hand clothing and.to get the store I had. to
buy his stock also. As it was paying pretty good, I decided.to con-
tinued with this line as-we...1 as the new for there ivreallY a demand
for used clothing.
Two boys came in the front door and &skim.: me to have a chair
in the little room at the back of.the.store, he went to wait on the
boys. AS I went in the very small room, I found that a large heater
with glowing sid-s, two chairs, and a bench, a small table. AS
waited I could see in the other room, where the boys were trying to
sell a suit of clothes and one of them said, "It is a good suit but
it is.just too small."
Mr. Brown bought the suit and paid three dollars, the price
they asked. Before the boys went out they had bought shoes and a
shirt each. AS he came back he said,"See there if I had not bought
that suit, they would have went. somqwhere else t buy their skies
3.
and shirts. I asked how long had he been in this kind of bUsiness be-
fore he opened this store. He laughed and said, "Well, I have worked
in dry good and clothing stores for about 29 years so I should know
how to sell.
"But I was born on Feb. 24, 18 on a farm, about four miles
from Comer, Ga. and near the old Hard Shell Baptist Church. I have
been to that old church many times and especially to the foot washings.
Now.thilt is somethin interesting if you have never been and all to-
gether different fr)m what you might think. For instead of being
funny it is very solemn and also sad, or at least that is the way
it impresses me."
--Another customer _Qaaa6-141,--ond he ''2'4
,;11
to wait on)h4qs... The man,
N,
_.„
.,---•cl"'''-' 4e4vi'-,...4..r.id
wanted to know if he had any high-top:-SITOTT-T6 small boys. *41r hiS
boy had a weak ankle and just had to -met A. -strong high top shoe'?
=WM Said, . tthe child with you?" 42=1=7:7-2/i
i''
k-nrade- this sueetion*. Why nozur boy
i
in and fit him righti I keve sold shoes for years and thatiis about
the only way that you. can fit anyone correctly,. and especially if it
has to be a certain fit or make of shoe and perhaps I could have
'.+1? r
rr'e AA' '444".
41 land I sure will bring him in when I come back to town *Ad may --_;e
braces fitted that would help your son.
oft444 'Thy I had never thoqght of that
Jç the morning for he really needs something to suport his ankle. Some-
times itll ,ive way with him when he;ks walking and he just falls
down. After buying some cloth „for his wife, he thanked
again and went 64t.
La-o-e*mimbommil.121,0,4 "You hav mde friend ar m good
,Nr.0
customer out of that man."/His reply was, "I think so and it,,ks so
easy to be nice to people. Of course, we come in contact .04117-e**--.....
II
4.
with all classes of people. Some that just will not let you be 14444-.
regardleTs of how hard you try. But where was I at in telling my
story. I reminded him that he had just finished telling me about the
old Hard Shell Baptist church, and he continued i "Well when I was
about three, my mother got sick and do you know I was.0.1.4otag...before
I remember her eing able to get out
of bed again. She was sick so
long my father spent everything he. had trying to get her well.
t I went to the fields and pll.f." like a
day in and day out until I was 20. But hard as
it was, we came back got out of debt, bought our home and -44 had plenty
tsf everything that could be raised on a farm. .-efasta-my father believed
in working, -.beet he.. believed in having a plenty of,leverything„,.
We of course had all kind of things that grow in gardenson
farm; and we didn't have to buy feed for our stock either, for there
was plenty of that raised.
4i!*:-
h068.4mpti had
of good fresh
"We had chickens, turkeys, geese, gu neas mr.rais,ed all our
-4
Aok
meat from one/killing to the next, and cows and plenty
44-4.**-
milk, butter and eggs. Also fruits of -ski 'kinds. And
I'll tell you row, we didq't have to wait for company to come to get
something fixed, fold we had what we wanted at any time. Father
'&74.
k /A,
said w441yorlied for it and
things to eat.
should have it and he liked to have good
-4)
"lived Apitaaiiwa miles from school and didn' t get to go to school
until I was 61.ewimen years old. 41111 ye went to scIpl*Wirft after the
.1,,
work in the fields was finished?1 Ne ;:nTl'da7t1a4ie'd'Iour
v;otik I.Liefc.o.v.
_
dinner with us, and 414k all the time I went to school, I just finish-
ed the fifth grade. Our teacher was a man and he was mean as the
devil. I know I shouldn't say that but it is the truth.
"The -larger boys -did everything they could to ag-ravate him be-
cause he was so mean. I guess I was mean tott=cany way I would get
from one to three whippings a day./ What did he whip with? I asked.
''Why, he used big switches, sticks or anything that he could get his
hands on, except his walking stick. lis--iretrIres*rmr*"."1"naeou—r-rff
Immo. He was very particular with it, and would not allow any of us
to so much as touch that'stick.7)
He was always
44-14.711 46441
Al and every day he would take th.,44
walking stick and go out in the woods. We followed him one day at
dinner and we found out why hp carrid that cane with him.
&I -44P 46' 1.1401 eAly
a 10i cork in one enotamik he took that cork out and drank
'"T94711VattiMdiabiliafiett. When he 414.4ped he was just about
drunk. e hurried back to tell the others what we had seen.
It had
"We hunted up about forty or fifty pins and put them in the
big cushion in his chair. He came invvang the bell like he would
a,
tit up. That was one time we hurried in when the bell r)Amg for
tuva
we veeanxious to see what he would do. He looked at us like he
W4Ag 41
could go through us, as we marched by his chair.
As we all
A
our seats, he just flopped down in his chair, but he came up in a
hurry and the cushion came with him. His eyes looked like they would
pop out of his head, as he tried )t pull that cushion lose from him.
4442
4,4440- 4
"We all yelled oute; It was just too funny to watch him, but
that is where we gpre ourselves away for he knew then that some of us
imeig responsible for those pins. He kept every one of the boys in
4.4
after school and tried to find out
did it. No one would
tell,...just didn't know a thing about it. He got a bundle of sticks
and said if we didn't tell he would whip the whole crowd for he knew
then he would get the guilty one.
7.
"I .stayed at home until January .101 1908. Then I went to St.
i ,i9x.e. 4
Jospphs Hospital in Atlanta. The- do c tori there, after the 4 e&-mina-
ce....-74.".4,,....a4, e
tionPawl/. Perygr, said., Well, son, you.will have -.to have an opera-
tions. for appendictis./ I couldn't understand land told th-em- that I
had an operation for that, just a:few months bacIt. said, Well,
you still have lam so what are yoU, going to:do about it?'
"I was in such. a condition that something had to .bEk:done. I
told them to co ahead and see what they could find. They laughed zrAA-se
1,/,.4);,,,v4erag,aFkiipl -410e3,4%," we will find ..ny our ap..:end4t-tc. Want to be t on it?
I was sure they wouldn't, but was just about too sick to care, but
after the operation and after I .had come to myself, that was the
first thing they showed me, my appendillire. in a very
to%
bad. condition. All that suffering and. hospi.tal bill in ;0.2g,uata
4g414:it616
-01mv gpod..
"It seemed. AS If_ I'Just coUldn't get any better, and on the
eidotionsbk (1'aim of 1/19.i.ch I had to have another operation. For
three days and nights didn't know anything. They had sent for
all my folks and juat knew I was going to check out, but I wasn't
ready to dip and after the fourth day I began to mend. I stayed
there in the hospital for twee0====kr weeks.
04A1
so nice. did'everything that they could for us. There was a man
fe-40,10.-041,
"art,,r I got better 'I had a good time for the ii*MpeoLs were
there who had been burned. He was in a terrible fix, but so jolly
with it all. T-h4Ag=,•.." a,young doctox‘mthere for treatment. vve were
soon put in a room together, for•the Sisters said they could keep up
with us better that way.
"We did. enjoy teasing and playing jokes on •these good Sisters.
They were good sports and could take it. awit.'vervoftqn -we got
,t,.,i
8.
i
hi" -2-4/-
back, I was there on my-twomtf._fireir birthday. I,was a little
-4
,:ex -r/
blue that day. I had been used_sgmd to having -et dinner at home
and then you know a man's
birthday is rather impor-
rt„,r,
tant to him. 4e were discussin it and the other t i o were threat-
)ing to give me a whipping, 2/
"One of the Sisters came in the room and said, have tried
everything else to make a man out of you and now I am going to try
the last thing. I only hope that it will do more than we have been
able to do. And then another Sister came rolling -4n a table. and
such a ts..ble it was. A real dinners for the three of us and in the
Center of the table was a cake with -t-tren4ry—eorte candles.
"I just couldn't say anything and I guess I would have been
g big baby and cried if it had
Sisters to put the baby to bed
hgrix.4.4 f
ner4 alit we really did enjoy
bEught me in a
wield a hospital.
not been for the doctor. He told the
44-t
ana they would take care of the din-
t&
and as we were eating they
from mother and I had a nice birthday if it
"When I did get home I was not able to do anything, the
doctors4.101 t'old me -before I left the hospital that if I would take
things easy for a year, 'I would be well and a good man again: After
I had lo-i-en at home for a few months and got a little of my strength
back, my father decided that a good camping and hunting trip would
put me on my feet again.
*After considering several places, he decided that down in
Greene County would be the best place for me to go. That suited me
fine, for there is nothing that I enjoy more than hunting and fish-
ing. I went to Par4 Mill and Ferry, and I just fished and hunted
birds, rabbits and squirrels for the rest of the year. I was camp-
P.749-t-rs,
ing out, Aket had a cow with me so I had all the fresh milk_ that If-iA.4.1,6
P
9.
"The_only_thing I didn't like was the water. I just couldn't
get used to that, but I had to drink it. I met some of the finest
people that I ever knew there and they were all so good to me;
always bringing me ing/x/mxtimix things to eat, and inviting me out
tO their homes: I stayed there until I had my health back and was
ready for work again. But you knolth4eglare more Aickory knits in
/Ltd-
Rreene County than in the,wh, e State of Georgia. I never saw so
P
manyiin my life.
"I came back" to Athens in November 1910. As I was walking
down the street I met a man I knew arid he offered rre a Job. I
accepted and went to work 141. -his store for
.•7
Ts a
monthip.med I worked forhim until April of 1911 and then I changed
i‘
jobs. And on the fifteent4, day., of April 1911 I went to work for
44is thlia-try-44x4-4444*4-a month amirocremesim
ze of 1913, *Ma I got married. Then
my boss rated me to-40044.4100.1akiagoas per mohth .fitit he continued
for
to give me raises until I was making $175 per month. I worked milk
him until the end of 1919. He was such a good man to work forjrsmW,
always looking out for the people working for him. He was just a good
old Scout all the way around.
"But you know I was from the country and I wanted to go back
to the farmXi don't think you just ever get that country out of you.
I know I haven't so in. -1920 I went back to the farm. The first year
LIcMade'-good with the -farm, and I also put me up a country store." He
laughedo and"- "1-44ve noticed you looking around in heTe, but
you:should have seen that country -store of mine.
"It was small also, but Lord the stuff I did have -packed in
that.i=k-place. It was a sight. had to Move things sometimes to
get what the customers called for. I had farm supplies, such'as
10.
and. books for school. 1 tried to think of them all, and I
tu4
plows, hoes, rakes, seeds, 'in fact just a little of everything
,1100 needed to farm with.
"Then the food stuff, everything in that line. Of course
4 didn't forget cloth, thread, pins, powder, hair pins, combs just
all the things amiks women haro hav,and Ag;:-children needed paper,
penc
J
really made money.
nti_
1
"ButillfZir4,,r°1r4„,en"7-he41-1'''14'?7 '4.1-e-
_
the yext
4., aAd 4.14 es!e,
-year I lost as much as I' madei'i Crops were bad iri-deh-ime-erliton
'I
went to the bottom. Llost heavily for the other farmers could not
pay for what they had bought. in -lita store. -.41milie just a bad year
for all of the farmers,• and it. took me4.at years to get over dbiteotry-
t
"I never did like to give up when I was down, so I stayed
right on that farm until I was on my feet again. Then as my wife
did not like the country, I came back to 1m44.' 'This time I went
to work in a mens clothing store.
"I worked there for 4hrer-iWyears 4.er $124 per month. My
boss votis--*.ePrIgereti-tcrintro---tatte-ire had a good business and he carried
a line of clothes that.his customers could depend on. He is still
in business here and he still carrie3 the best in mens clothing and
really did like to work for him, but while he as good to me, he
was really hard on the clerksi-JaMt a dull season hit him as well as
all the other stores in town and my salary as iv,e1I ft -s th,e 4.1€104us,
4Nidisamotw-".1- was out to $100 a month.-}
"When eft there I went to work in a department store. It
7,2_,
was owned by Jewish man. aacilae-r-eal.14.....wae-e-ft-ne-c14-sed good
to everybody and especial to the people that worked for him.
44tx4
41144mhilm i, el his d one child, She was married and
her husband was ir t manager of the store. I went to work there
for $120 a month.
11.
"The-W.4.4*ex tried to keep his business going straight and
to/4p his bills -vie* promptly, but that
Zii:41Z■iferir of his was.*A/
rotten, and did so many things la .14,1n didn't know about.a0d,
.e.6,11.11
„11-4,1
in a few years -4ke--pacit th old mant\in bankruptcy/ The shock of A
ime• really caused-Maler-o-i-MM*Le death.
passed away one evening Six o'clock. He had a stroke
of paralysis a day or so before and never knew anything after that.
-41:_.• *1- r
They called his son-in-law at the store, ibut you know that sorry ..I.owlidad-ot
wouldn't go home until the store was closed,aad the old man mrii
before we left Alwasksme and the manager told us that he would have
to close the store until the funeral was over, but that he wanted m*
and the two girls that --9*es4 work4 there to come to the house tire
next morning to help them Eet fixed for the funeral.
"Doupowigeum I never saw anything like it in al/ my lift
And I don't think I was ever so mad about anything that really
didn't concern me in anyway.
4e worked hard all day, they had to
have everything, and could thin of more things to do. The girls had
4/ -4
to fix the Vrw clothesli' I T::ent witib4Am to see about things for the
old man, for they -woe going to leave him at the undertaking parlor,
-4
had 40 cleaned and pressed ana was going to put an old worn-out shirt
J
and tie on him, but that was just more than I could stand. I went
out and bought a shirt and tie myself and asked the undertaker to
4 rr) kc,15 to. AAA
put thel_pn my old boss or he ho.d alwayo
1.444 his son-in-1 'What 1s the use'lla-44tet/
just wasting money and:he will never know the difference,libut I
remembered how neat and particular the old man had always ben in
because it would be cheaper than carrying him home7
"And when I saw what he was going to put on that old man,
4i,e1"
I really went up in the air, for it was aiold beach suit, he A44i/
A
4..4/
4.ed •:e
12.
his clothes and I felt sure that he would want ht -way.
I begged
for a n-ew suit out of the store to put on him but I sure didn't get it
"The funeral was the next morning et eivorets-o'clock.
course, we all went Do you know th&t..141ormaidia&sumead soh -in-law
..46f....t.aut=stitk-ffie gave me the key(4emilimmtame while they was letting
the body down in'-thegrave,and told me to hurry back and get the.
store open. It was open and ready for business before the fufteral r
wreath had been taken, off the dpor. On thp following Saturday when
0,0_44 14.47,„,
we ma's paid for the week's work, he had-4.6ak:out for the day and:
a half that we worked at _his house.
"The business was reoranized in his mother-in-law's name,'
but he .was still manager. It 'took just about all Of the old mints
insurance to get it straighteneeout and tilat is where theold-W-Aan
made the greatest mistake of her life for she has no more to say in
regard to it than you have}ican,"t even *Let a dollar unless he ga..3rs so.
"I could see how things were but there.waa-nothingIttat-I
could do about it. wa.s,just going .down everyday, and he
Iro
cut,isalaries-maiecr, but he and his wife were having the time -of
their life. They only have one child., a -girl, and tlisemade one
long trip after another and thFt takes money.
".44fivati.iiriaisommt#0e 1.4 op
My .oldest boy ran Atite=atrazei_
seventy dollar p and a debt bf
flea up a small rocery store Of my own -4414-1
I started that store witis. a Capit-al-of
almost.$700. -My son was married, and
4,1 44
we had five other children at home.';-* *al 1 ved Out -of that store,
and ',used my'slary and what we madeHout of the store to pay' on
the: notes.7.
"It was a.hard pull but I knew that if we tried hard enbOgh
we .could make it, and I knew that I was going to have to do something
for myself. For the way things were goin at the store, I didn't
13.
think it iould last long. When...4e found out that I had
opened up a store for myself, he wanted to know how I, did it. indr
w‘e!reowitetir-draret,vmi-401eivr-wor-ne--neert4sfr-trerVPor tere were
enough fi of'414. to look after the store.4.o.A10444e-A-di
"In abut a year 1 started another grocery store, one of my
daughters and her:husband took care of the new stores ariii tkon—my
oovvi
boss.c said, 'How in the world do you manage with your large family
el
and on the sal ry that you are getting here. I told him my 10011
salary wds the reason that I was having to work -o hard to try to get
something else Gtarted,s that I could take care of my family.
"His business kept going down and he just bought until he
was loaded down with 6tuff that he could not sell. Th4all was a
7
dibappOintment for that is
1
when he 4tee.-tive most business ,9ad he
sent broke. For awhile it looked as if he would lose everything
but he finally got a settlement with his creditors for 33 1/3 per
cent, and just as soon aS that was settled he put off part of the
help, cut our salaries again, the took his family on a trip to
Florida.
That -left just three of 'us to run the, store and get it straight
the inventory that had to be taken before the settlement could be
made. We worked hard and had the
in place when he came back. Hew us about the F;rand trip
4
and how they had enjoyed it. He.left his family in Flotida for they
,did -7,0t want to dome home.
store all cleaned and everything
He toldfme that he paid...Zialloes for a berth on the trip
home and I realized it when he paid me off that nit that I had paid
for that berth, for he had :fiven me another 44v, ,-11.mr cut and the
others got another cut also. !e were paying for his family's visit
in Florida. I did not think it was riht and told him so.
"He said, 'Well that'.X3 the best I ..an do.' I asked him if
he thou6ht we could live on 4hat he paid us. That made him mad and,
he said that was up to us, he didn't have anything to do with it.
I told him that I was sure I couldn't live on it and that my family
was just as important to me as his was to him.
e said, 'qelliwhat are you going to do about it?' Only
this, I replied and put th-e4key t&-4iimmtty.,0 down on hts desk.
He wanted to know_phat that meant. I asked him what did he think
it meant. That I was leaving for I obuldn't work6any longer. Then
he wanted 11.4e to reconsider. I asked if he would reconsider and he
said no, He was doing the best he could.
"So I told him I didn't see Where I could do any better
either xdamxx by staying on there and that it was time for me to
try something else. He laughed and asked me if I would be back in
the morning. I di474t even answer.just got my hat and walked out,
and 1 haven't been back 444.
"That is-i:hen I opened up‘my store here, and from what I hear
I -really did more business last fall than he did. *or" my customers
that -I had waited on for years fiI16Wed'me here to my store and I hope
before the the fall business starts,that 111‘44-3. be able to get in a larger
place PIT' really need more roome!"'
My wife and daughters help me
you do any credit bueinesiiI aske
and we manage just fine.
NO,' he replied, "But I do use
the lay -away plan. A small deposit will hold anything the customer
wants for a reasonable time, and I find that is a much better plan
than taking it out and paying later. It really is a help to the
customer as well asmthe store.
15.
"My greatest mistake was in not pulling out for myself sooner.
I would have been so much, better off and had something to fall: back"
on. But I hope tothat yet. I leave built up a good trade here aA
both of my little grocery stores are going good. I 0-ntit. have much
trouble with collections in them, for if they don't pay up, I cut /ff
.0f.7.444
.-ree 4er,
until they
"Ilimve managed to give my older children,aihigh school educa-
tion and the younger ones are still In school. I have three grand-
children, it I itye had my share of trouble and sickness in my family.
I guess ,everyone brae.4paom and with hard work Ive managed to come
4
through them.odet'and get illam the bills paid'.
"You know it.ame been years since T.aeve had the time to
think of a vacation, but just as so -n as I can now, Isam going to
11,
take a good long vacation one just like I want./ I asked atwbat
would he likaci..1-.14--a--zetteatAzen. lEe ouickiy replie A -;a.mping
/with good fishing and hunting.. 11 oan get more pleasure out of that
than any other kind of sport.
4St 7
"Of course I enjoy ball games. Baseball is my favorite andlf
the movies*-44,Alet I go to shows -often with. my kids for I _______
want them to enjoy life while they can
have many problems of life to face and work out and I
they'
For as they grow oldyr,,
-4 Ziopytert t ..11 et
may not be.here to help them then.
100-I always try to sea that they go places and have a good
time, but:no understandm I want them to o with the right class of
people an he'best places,. 4lia we t6r to keep a pleasant home for
them so they will'.:Jant to bring their friends there as well as go out
with them, and there is uaually a crowd of young people at our house,
16.
"Some folks tell me I am too easy on 44140-, but I don't think
and
so for they are smart and they all work at home/in the stores when
they are not in school so why not try to see that they have some
pleasure as well all work. Nhat do you think? "That you are
right, I rep11edj I was leaving he walked to the door with me
and said, "Coe over to our house sometime and see just how we do
live. Ne will be glad to have you."