After church Sunday, a friend wanted to show me something in downtown Auburn. She thought it would please me.

For many years I was part of an attractive downtown, a busy place of which I was a part, being bookkeeper at the old Jupiter Store (formerly the old 5 & 10 or S.S. Kresge). Jupiter was the forerunner to Kmart. In those days I (a woman) was able to go alone to the bank with a pouch of money tucked under my arm to buy X number of rolls of nickels, etc., to stock the cash registers, and no one attacked me or knocked me down! Couldn't do that today!

Downtown was beginning to decline. Some said it was due to the startup of the Fingerlakes Mall. Jupiter was one of the last to close (early '60s). John Korcz and I were last to leave. He was manager at that time and we both had much paperwork to handle.

Now I bring up what was shown me after church on Sunday. On the wall of the Liberty Store, someone had painted a colorful picture depicting people about to enter that store. Are there not many blank walls in downtown Auburn (such as the side of what was Auburn Floor Covering). Picture a view of the Seward House and its gardens. What a view as someone enters Auburn from that end of town, to see that! Think what could happen to our downtown's blank walls if they were transformed by paintings!

Since starting this letter, I have phoned Liberty Store, giving my admiration for their paint job. They did it as a “thank you” to Auburn for more than 50 years of business. It was an expensive project, so I know Auburn can't afford fixing downtown by painting walls. It was a good dream on my part. Downtown sure could use drastic changes.

Winifred Mosher

Auburn