Saturday, November 21, 2015

The Store Continued .......

   It's Oct. 19th 2015, a beautiful sunny fall day. Tomorrow it will be eight years since mom passed.I don't how that much time has gone by so fast but it seems it has. She is often in my thoughts and special times without her still make me lonesome for her laughter, her singing and of course her cooking. But today is a day to celebrate the memories I have of happy times shared and special places visited with her. And so I am heading to one such very special place. 
   The drive down is a slow glorious one. The air is cool but the sun is shining and the foliage is spectacular. The trees are in all their splendor, golden yellows, flaming reds and all shades in between. 
As I come into Naples I head right to my favorite place for all things grape, Cindy's. Now fully stocked with grape tarts & cookies I head back to the old standby Bob & Ruth's restaurant to use their outdoor facilities. The park across from them is alight with color. Sunlight streams down through the huge maple trees and the golden leaves look ablaze. After taking some pictures & walking around a bit I notice the beautiful old house across the street has a sign up. Vintage & More Antiques & Vintage it says, I must go investigate the treasures. It's a beautiful old place filled with lovely things but as I walk around I'm not seeing any owls so I inquire. She hasn't any there but we get to talking about collectibles and such. I pick out a green glass bowl that is a piece my mom' green glass collection doesn't have and tell her I'll take it. I tell her my parents were collectors and how we've been coming down this way since I went to Alfred State. That we would come down for the Cohocton Fall festival every year and go to the Bee Hive antique co-op that used to be across from the store. How I loved that Olde Country Store and I was heart broken when it closed and every year since I drive down to check on it. And then she says the most amazing thing. The store she says has in fact reopened. I almost think I have heard her wrong. But no, she tells me some of the story about a German family taking it over and I scarcely can take it in. And the candy I ask hesitantly, yes she says the candy is back also.
   I stand there in total amazement. She has no idea that my heart has just lit up like a Christmas tree. My eyes water on the verge of tears. I wrote a story about the store I tell her, just last year. It's like a dream come true, a miracle I never thought I would see happen. I am beside myself with joy and I all I can think of is getting there to see it for myself. She tells me her name and to tell them she sent me. And I am off and running back to the car with my treasure and a feeling that mom is looking down smiling also. North Cohocton is a 5 mile drive from Naples heading down Rt. 21 south and I feel as if I am floating all the way. As I drive past the old familiar places I am still in shock over what she has told me. And then I am there, pulling into the parking lot across from the store. And I see what despite the beauty of the nature all around me has to be the most splendid sight I have ever seen. A brightly colored open sign on side lawn of the store. 
   And the store looks amazing. The exterior gleams in the sunlight and a new sign, The Olde Country Store & More shines brightly on the roof over the porch. The porch is decorated with cornstalks and pumpkins and a neon OPEN sign lights up the window. I can hardly take it in this monumental sight. I grab my camera and take some photos and then grab my purse and head to the door. I step up onto the porch and look around. The Republican & Democratic benches have long since disappeared and I will forever wonder where to. But my mind fills will memories of siting on my favorite blue party bench. The last time I was on this porch I was looking through dirty glass at a few scatted remnants of penny candies. But now I reach forward and grasp the old metal handle of the door firmly and pull. As it it opens I step inside a place I never thought I would be again and I stand there in awe of it. I am welcomed by a girl at the counter and I tell her how I just heard the store was open again and I suppose I went on about my history with it and how I had written a story about it. She tells me they reopened on July 4th
   After taking it all in I quite naturally turn my attention to the candy. The wooden bins which hold it run the entire length of the store. And they are once again filled with candies of every size, shape and variety. A candy lover's dream come true. And so I do what I had done so many times before, I grab a paper sack & I begin to fill it with the penny candies. Hand candies and taffies, sweet candies and sours, so many favorites to choose from and like old friends I welcome them back. I just can't believe I am in the store once again and I almost don't want to leave. I peruse up and down the candy rows making sure I am taking it all in and missing nothing. I see a beautiful owl Christmas ornament from Germany that I would love but I haven't enough money left today. So I pay for my candies and tell the girl I'll be back again for certain. And with one last look around I force myself out the door. 
   The drive home is slow but steady and I stop at at Bristol to take some photos. I get home and start to put away all my grape things, still in awe of the day. And then I pour out that paper sack and eye all my penny candy treasures, trying to decide which one I should try first. Banana taffy is a favorite of mine but I also like the blue raspberry frooties and the mint juleps. I text my son and tell him the fantastic news about the store. He can't believe it either and is excited  to hear all about it. So it isn't until the next afternoon that I go to my blog and reread the story I had written the year before. And then I notice at the bottom there is a comment dated July 24th : Hello Braveheart !!! I just want to inform you that The Olde Country Store is again open !!! At least we are in our startup "soft opening" phase. 9-5 every day of the week. I hope to see you the next time you're in Naples for some grape tarts. Jeff Wells
  I sat there staring at my laptop wondering how I have missed this. If there is a way to get notified when someone comments on my blog I don't know how to do it. But I never imagined anyone connected with the store would read it. And they have a link to their Facebook page which I go check out. And there I find the story about how they came to reopen the store. And what a story it is. Store owner Jeff grows up in nearby Naples,NY on the family farm. Then seeking adventure a tour of duty with the army brings Jeff to Germany. There he meets his wife and they have two daughters. They continue to live in Germany for several years but after the loss of his wife and job a decision is made to return once again to upstate NY. After their original plan of opening a nature center doesn't succeed they go with plan B which is the reopening of The Olde Country Store.
  And so the store is once again a living breathing vibrant place and I hope it lives on for many more years. The future plans Jeff has for the store make me believe it will. There will be stories to tell by next generations of the wonderful memories they have of visits to the store. And I am thrilled to once again be making trips every fall to the store. I may make a few trips at other times in between, after all one's candy supply needs to be restocked and I will have to check out all the new things Jeff has planned for the store. Welcome back old friend, I have missed you. Here's to many more years at The Olde Country Store.






   





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