If you have lived your life in the appropriate manner you've got stories; stories of experience, stories of wisdom, stories of humor, stories of embarassment (which are really funny for the rest of us), we are asking for you to share your wisdom/stories with us.  The theme is locally owned business (duh!!).   Maybe it's the time your mom dragged you by your ear down to the store to apologize for stealing and you had to mop the whole store.  Tell us about your local business experience. We're listening! If it is worthy, you get a free shirt!

OK, OK you don't have to go first  here's a good one....

I was eight years old and I was hungry...candy hungry.  Wandering down to the corner store I would peruse the candy isle...no I would study it.  Chocolate, licorice vines, LemonHeads. Even though I didn't have a penny in my pocket I would wander that aisle. I remember that familiar deli smell of the breads, salami, peppers, the Italian dressing and those great deli pickles. But it was the candy that I was after...I had to get the candy.

Jimmy was the owner.  To an 8 year old, he was big and imposing standing behind that counter with a watchful eye.  I was terrified of Jimmy, but one day my sweet tooth got the best of me.   I took a chance and talked to him. Turned out he wasn't so bad.  From then on we'd chat every day and if I was lucky I'd walk out of there with a bag of Sugar Babies.  Before long, I craved a visit to the corner store to talk to Jimmy. I feel like he looked after me, and I'd like to think we were friends.  I wanted to make his store better. I took it upon myself to take responsibility for the candy aisle.  I guess Jimmy figured that an 8-year old perspective in that department couldn't hurt and may even help move a little more product.  Jimmy would pay me in candy for straightening his shelves. I don't remember how long I worked there, but he had the best looking shelves in the neighborhood, and I always had a pocket full of candy.

I'm sure my mom loved that. ADHD boy, fully supplied with candy. But those were the days when you went out to play all day and came home just before dark. That was about 32 years ago now.  The store is still there, but Jimmy's gone.  Still, every now and then, I stop by the store to take a look at the candy aisle.

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The Owner of Halcyon Tea shares why he is a S.L.O.B.™
Halcyon Tea / Corner of Beech & 30th Street / South Park, San Diego, CA