was going to write

something controversial,
but thought better of it.
it's not nesca sara lee
everybody's cup of tea.

speaking of everybody's,
there used to be an everybody's
department store in downtown.
it was connected to stripling's
department store by a long corridor
underground. along that corridor
stripling's sold housewares and
fine china. stripling's also had
a bargain basement where i once saw
a pale orange sport coat very cheap
but did not buy it. the lunch room
at stripling's was the pink flamingo.
i used to meet my aunt dodo there.
she worked for leonard's at that time.
i'd have a club sandwich and a
chocolate soda in a tall glass.
it was near the hosiery and hat
departments. i bought the yellow ochre beach suit at stripling's; it came with a funny hat. i first saw it on a mannekin. it's the one i'm wearing in the oil painting of me by dodo. i was wearing it at a high school picnic, buried in sand with the hat over my face, when somebody grabbed it and tore off the little cup shaped appendage it had on the top.

monnig's department store also had a tea room and a bargain baement.

what i remember most about leonard's (leonardo's) department store, besides the fact that it took up a whole city block, is the toyland at christmas. it was a veritable wonderland, complete with scenic ride and a mystery gift you could get for a quarter. we went there every year. also i remember coming down the escalator into the basement and watching men and women demonstrate cooking appliances and accessories. sometimes they gave out sample snacks. and there was a nut warmer where you could buy a few in a little paper sack.

one time my brother pat and i were hired by a lawyer to distribute election pamphlets out on the corner, "i'd appreciate your considering will wilson for attorney general"; and that was the same corner where the old blind man played the guitar and his wife an accordion, selling pencils and collecting donations. we were pretty well paid for that job, and we liked to go to the penny arcade near the remnants of the old "hell's half acre" when we took a break from hanging out at the Y.

the fair, at seventh and thockmorton, had an interesting book department with a lending library at one time. striping's had a good book department also where i used to buy little devotional books in purple colors. one was "the jefferson bible". cox's was across the street from the fair. i remember the beauty shop mezzanine and the vacuum tube system that submitted your payment and sent back change.

then there was woolworth's, that had live birds and fish, and succullents among other plants. and the card shop (perhaps bob bolen's) where i used to buy strange little sculptures called "li'l horribles".

then there were the restaurants, like the picadilly cafeteria and the barbecue sandwich shop (mrs. boyd's, i think it was) underneath russell stover's candy store. the richelieu cafe. a whole host of places. all gone now. downtown was a livelier place back then. what happened? where did it all go!