3/22/2022 0 Comments Article Printed in The Walter!Great news everyone! I took my blog post regarding the poster and the piggly wiggly and wrote an article that was selected for publication from our very own Walter Magazine. The entire experience of working with such a great editor, Ayn-Monique Klahre, of the Walter, was impactful and I look forward to contributing again in the future. If you would like to read the article, here you go!
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The gravel parking lot, the blue letters with white backing stating "Bob's Aquariums", we all share a little part of that fond memory, don't we? I for one cannot recall a more exciting trip as a child than to Bob's. Seeing the sign from the back of a Ford Taurus wagon, as I sat buckled in my car seat, man that memory warms my soul. This story is vastly incomplete. Heck, in even making this post I'm leaving out too much. Yet, perhaps in making this post it will drum up some better more colorful content? Feel free to comment below! When I went digging through the State Archives, I wasn't sure what would turn up. With the help of Ian Dunn, we located a roll of film in the N&O photographic collections, of Bob walking a photographer through his store. In several shots bob feeds a pair of Discus (fish). I purchased this photo from the Archives, (it's catalog number is in the caption of the photo). And while I cherish the shot, I'd love to have found a photo of the front of the building. Why? I guess building fronts so often get torn down, or replaced with larger buildings that we don't think to snap a picture. We didn't then but we do now, sadly. But one hack--or workaround--I've used is through accessing Wake County's real estate records. In so many cases I've been able to strike gold there, but not with this one. What I do know: I know that Bob passed away some time ago. Efforts have been made in the past to reach out to the family, but I couldn't establish contact. So for now, my intent in making this post is to celebrate local aquarium shops, like bob's that stick in the back of our memories. There are so many others that come to mind, Fish Pros, Aquarium Outfitters, Sea World. All of them once had a place here in Raleigh. Fish keepers in raleigh know that wonderful high humidity smell and warmth that hits you when you walk into an aquarium. The condensation caked over the windows hiding a wonderful world just behind that door. Good times. If you have an opportunity to share this post, or make a connection with Bob's family. Let them know we cherish his business and the happiness he brought to Raleigh.
[Update: The efforts of locating images of the poster at Piggly Wiggly were a success! A huge thank you to Ian Dunn at the State Archives for all his aid in this research. If you would like to purchase a print of these photos or any of the others I am including on the media page, please email the state archives. I have provided call numbers in the captions.]
It's with pleasure that I share with you my story and research, as it's fitting for Thanksgiving. Hopefully it brings a smile or sparks a fond memory in this terrible covid year. I've been awaiting this opportunity to share this here, with y'all. People who grew up here in Raleigh, spanning several generations "get it", we understand that what we had and what we hold on to WAS and IS special. There's nothing much different to this story than what I'm sure many generations experienced here in Raleigh. And that's the experience of living in a smaller town. A town where we had the freedom to explore the city on bikes without risking getting mowed down. We'd go just about anywhere. We could get away with just about anything. Hell, our parents trusted us, but they trusted the town too. My best friend and I were nomadic--we biked everywhere. Without fail we often ended up at Five Points (home base). We ended up and at the entrance of the piggly wiggly. We'd jump on the magic black rubber mat, watch the automatic door spring open and ding. I'm sure this tested the manager's patience. The manager, an old man with a red nose, tinted glasses, grey haired-comb over. His hands grasping the broom that he rested under his chin. He stood by the corner in the store, near the kiosk near the safe. He didn't smile, carried a look of non-amusement, perhaps thinking about patience and dealing with kids. Then Richard, the kindest person on the earth, always smiling, could be overheard asking the old lady with blue hair that was checking out if "he could walk her groceries out to the car". Okay now PAUSE for a moment. You're in the store. Behind you to the left is the ice cream (freezer bins) with sliding glass doors. Above those bins to the left, hung a framed copy of this poster. You were 13 years old then. You're now 37. All you can recall at this age is the word "Remington" and a picture of the piggly wiggly. Fast forward now. Move past the Patel ownership and the butchery of the inside of the piggly wiggly's beautiful aesthetics. You're eating at Nofo, you look up and there's the picture from the ad! But is it? You email the kind owner of the NOFO, Jean, and leave a message, only to discover several years later that she actually left you a VM! Jean, who is not only old fashioned but incredibly kind explains that Remington hired McKinney-Silver to do a 1990 holidays ad. McKinney-Silver "dolled up" the PW to look real "nostalgic" placing hand painted signs in the windows, and an old bike up to the curb. Cool! But hold on, where can you get a copy of this ad? Well...you can't. You grasp at straws getting no response from Remington or the ad agency. And then one night a friend to whom you share your frustrations with sends you an eBay link. BAM! There's the ad, your jaw drops. It's for sale. You buy it instantly from a guy in Pennsylvania clearing out an old man's gun store---it was to be trashed. That best friend of yours, the one you grew up your whole life, riding bikes to piggly wiggly. The one who also wrote his name in the concrete across the street from the pig. Well by sure small town coincidence is now working across the street from the PW (NOFO-presently). I'll look forward to giving him that poster this Christmas, he'll likely (hoping) be too busy to catch this imperative thanksgiving post (share). God bless everyone, take care of your relationships with your friends. Don't forget what makes this place special, it's the people. Be thankful to all those people that keep our memories alive, and make this still the best place to have ever lived. Until then, I'll keep doing my digging, hopefully I'll share some photos down the road. Note: If you didn't grow up in Raleigh or frequent the Five Points Piggly Wiggly, this story won't be interesting.--scroll to my next post.
Google "Piggly Wiggly, Five Points, Raleigh NC" and see what comes up. If you're like me and you have childhood memories of such a place, then I'm sorry to say there's not much that will help you. However we have the power to write from what we recall, and so I hope this account may serve my contemporaries well. Growing up in Five Points as a child in the mid 80s to 90s was always met with quick trips to the Piggly Wiggly. In the summer, as the oaks trees hung over streets and station wagons with wood paneling lined every street, I can still hear the sound of rubber tires cracking acorns. Cracked acorns just about covered every inch of the streets and man did they hurt to walk on bare foot. Anyways on to Piggly Wiggly. Do you remember that special black mat at the entrance? The one that once stepped on, caused the door to fly open? Recall that blast of cold air that met you from the AC blower?. To the left of the door, was a rubber motorized belt which fed produce up from the basement. I always wanted to slide down that belt. On the wall--also to the left--hung a framed magazine article (perhaps Remington?) with a spread of the front facade of this building at dawn, the red letters Piggly Wiggly Glowed Red. If you frequent Nofo often, you may recall that it looked much like the picture that now hangs in the back near the bathrooms. But this was in a magazine...I wish I could actually recall the name of that magazine. Sigh. Sitting on a stool off to the right, guarding the safe, was the manager. A tall, skinny older man with a struggling comb-over and a red nose, that his tinted glasses rested on. Richard, also mustached and with tinted glasses would be bagging groceries. As you looped through the isle of produce and made your way to the back of the store, past the dog food to your right , you were met by the meat counter. The butcher sported a brown mustache. Hell, everyone in the store aside from the black woman at the deli sported a mustache. Perhaps she sported a small whiskery type of mustache or maybe it was a whiskery beard, I can't recall, and for the sake of this passage we'll leave that out. But she did serve great boxed lunches. Banana pudding, green beans, potato wedges and fried chicken. As a pudgy little kid I was a fan off all those food groups. I'd order a pint of banana pudding and a pint of green beans (to compensate for my 1st unhealthy choice), walk over behind the post office, sit up on that loading dock and fill my face unabashedly. It was great. I only did that once , every other time I ate like a civilized non-barbaric kid. Attached are images I've found that I associated with this story. 1/15/2014 0 Comments Behind a photograph, report 1City Officials & Raleigh Fire Dept. circa 1917, Click the image to expand There is so much that can be said about an old photograph of Raleigh. The goal of this site is to offer reporting on these images. If you have an image or an account you would like to share, feel free to shoot me an email from the contact page. Mike Legeros, of the Raleigh Fire Dept. has done an excellent job researching this image. This panoramic photograph was taken to commemorate the delivery of their latest fire engine, American LaFrance sent a photographer from New York to take this picture. Shown against the backdrop of Fayetteville Street is the entire fire department and several City officials. According to a past Raleigh Fire Dept. Chief, this photograph became an iconic image for the RFD and was staged retaken multiple times over the span of the next 75 years. The engine in the middle of the shot was a spring loaded ladder truck. A firefighter had to hold onto the back end of the ladder as it sprang into the air. Several of the buildings that were captured in this photograph burned down in less than 15 years after this picture was taken. 1905 Le Franc Steam Engine See this antique 1905 Le Franc steam engine at Station 28. This museum houses several other fire engines. Click here for more info City Auditorium & Municipal Building Both buildings--which appear to be as one--were built in 1911, by Thorton Mayre. All of his buildings have been demolished except for the Ruffin Building, seen here. The auditorium faced Fayetteville St. and the Municipal building faced Davie Street. N.C. State played several basketball games in the auditorium. In 1930 the auditorium burned down. Unfortunately Raleigh lost many city records, including the deeds to the City Cemetery and Mount Hope Cemetery. The city chose to rebuild the auditorium at the end of Fayetteville St. What we know as Raleigh Memorial was originally the War Memorial Auditorium. A fire Station was built on the back end of the auditorium. Unfortunately the spring loaded truck didn't fit. Goodnight Raleigh's Karl Larson provided much of this information. The Yarborough Hotel Just two years prior to the auditorium burning down, Raleigh lost yet another iconic structure that can be seen in this panoramic above. The Yarborough was one of Raleigh's landmark hotel and social centers, with 150 rooms and 125 baths. Charlie Chaplin, William Jennings Bryan (Scopes trial), Helen Keller and even President Howard Taft stayed there. In 1923 a new hotel emerged and began taking the spot light--The Sir Walter, also seen in background of the panoramic. The Yarborough met its fate in 1928; a fire began in the elevator shaft, spread throughout the wood framed building. It was a nightmare to put out, and The News & Observer has done an excellent story on this fire that you can read here. Not Seen in iMage: Sir Walter The Sir Walter is known as Raleigh's oldest surviving hotel (built between the years of 1923-24). The Sir Walter grew in the same fashion as the Yarborough and began offering steady competition. I chose to add the Sir Walter because it was the Sir Walter that began competing with the Yarborough, grasping the interest of visitors. Some stayed loyal to the Yarborough, but many moved to staying at the Sir Walter. Want to see what the Sir Walter looked like inside? Click here. Want to read more about the building? Click here.
1/15/2014 0 Comments Behind a photograph, Report 2Aunt Betsy HolmesWe don't know much about Aunt Betsy Holmes. Internet articles often ponder over this topic. I'd love to inspire a search and reopen this topic . Over the christmas break I went on a little search. The image above was taken in Downtown Raleigh, at the state capitol. The church in the background still exists!, The church 1st Baptist Church. The building to the right of the church is now the Agriculture Building. Here's how I figured this out. Aspects of the ChurchNotice the arched window of the church and the scroll work inlaid at its top point. Then look at the wall below the door, and then look at the columns supporting the wall. The Agriculture BuildingThe photograph on the left is of the old Agriculture building. In the postcard, this building is shown to the right of the church. Click on the b&w photo to expand the view. There are some interesting points to consider with this building that I am working on covering on in my next post. Stay tuned!
11/30/-0001 0 Comments Partnership ElementaryIt's great when your passion and your profession cross paths. For me, I substitute teach during the summer.
I also research Raleigh. And so when I took the job at Partnership Elementary--a stones throw from Glenwood South--I'd already done a little research. I was placed in a classroom with an excellent Teacher Assistant, Mr. Jimmy Yarbough. Yarbough actually grew up in Raleigh. He was hired in the same room he now has taught in for the past 10 years (Partnership used to be WCPSS headquarters). Behind his desk I glance and see an old N&O article. The caption of the article reads "Man honored for 'special kids' work. Jimmy Yarbough, Wake's Teacher Assistant of the year, offers his philosophy on teaching." So as I begin talking to Yarbough, I take in his calm, collected outlook on lif in Raleigh. He attends the oldest black church in Raleigh. He has rich stories of his past and growing up here. He too loves this city. We discuss Lincoln Theater, how it used to be a black theatre. "Every Sunday you know I was at the lincoln" he remarks. Around that time I mention that I have several old photographs from the department of archives on this school. "I can't recall what was the name old name of this school back the" I said. Yarbough opens the blinds, looks out the window facing his desk. "It says RH Lewis School" he says. When he turns around I've pulled up an old photograph from 1916. He's in awe. Yarbough has taught here for 10 years. He is now scanning an image that's almost 100 yrs old. Smiling, he identifies parts of the building. The classroom I'm in is a part of the building that was added on later. The old front facade faces right up to the building we're in. |
Matt Busch, Author
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