Well, hello there again.
Another quiet day. I got up late. While Patricia was still resting, I walked to the corner convenience store to get a loaf of bread, as we had none on hand and I wanted some toast for breakfast, darn it.
The store is an easy walk from here. Never really timed it, but it is in the order of 8 minutes or so to get there. At any rate, I was the only customer at that hour. I selected a loaf of bread and as is my wont, I just looked through what else they had. The security cameras caught every move, and the owner was probably thinking I was being overly nosy, but he was pleasant enough.
I am always pleasantly surprised by what I find there. Little things you don't expect to see in a store like that. Like, a spinning rack full of greeting cards, one dollar each. Under a display of pop, there are some bottles of distilled water, about 60 cents more than the same product would be at the local Sobeys. They sell lactose-free milk, which is a big plus. Bread from a local bakery called Stonehearth. Behind the counter I noticed lighter fluid. I know they sell cigarettes as well. I am sure there are plenty of other interesting things behind the counter. They seem to sell every chocolate bar in the known universe. Slushies. Ice cream cones. Oil for your car. Little propane tanks for your camp stove.
The owner told me that while it is a part of the Ritestop chain of stores, it really isn't. There is some kind of relationship with Sobeys, but he is free to bring in whatever he wants to, within reason, and the law. They don't prepare food there, as it would require different Health regs. They don't sell pizza by the slice for the same reason. But they do have a good selection of things other than snack foods, and every time I go in, I tell myself I really should go there more often. You pay somewhat more for things, but there is the convenience of having such a store within easy walking distance of my humble abode, which is something many people reading this cannot state.
I am just wondering, gentle readers, whether you have a convenience store within easy walking distance of your home, and how often you go there? Is it something that if it were gone, would you miss it?
You know how to contact me: either leave a comment after the post, message me privately, email me here with "Convenience Store" in the subject line, or leave a comment after the post on Facebook or Twitter.
Genuinely curious to know how you feel about this.
See you tomorrow.
Bevboy
2 comments:
Hey Bev local corner stores are very important. When I was a kid we had 6 or 7 within a 5-6 minute walk of my house. Likely that many because we had 3 elementary schools, 2 Junior and 1 Senior high schools within that same distance. Corner stores where part of our community culture when I was growing up. Anyway to your ask, I like corner stores and would miss the one in my area. It’s very small - and not on a corner - but has lots of stuff as you mentioned in your blog. We regularly go for milk and bread - I think the cat eats it while we are asleep ��. We go for loto tickets, single stamps to mail our snail mail and of course our treats. Of course, I need them when I burn the homemade gravy and need a quick can or my daughter eats all the Doritos! My mom would use it as her daily exercise destination but I think she really went to get her daily dose of Pepsi without reprisals ��. So while they have taken a definite hit to the chin over the years, some have weathered the storm and have an important role in the communities they service.
I have got a fair amount of feedback on this little post. Thanks for writing. Corner stores are indeed an underappreciated aspect of living, most anywhere. I am relatively close to a Sobeys, but I am far closer to this corner store, and I feel I should support it as much as I reasonably can.
Do I know you?
Bevboy
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