As I look back into that place where my memories are stored, I see downtown Auburn in the 1950s. The thing that stands out strongest in my mind are pictures of the five and ten cent stores.

In those great days, we could shop at Newberry's, Kresge's and Woolworth's. These were especially wonderous to a “kid,” who often frequented them after school, in the evening and on weekends. Summers, of course, allowed plenty of time for visits.

Each store had its own special atmosphere, including uniqie smells.

I believe a person could have been led into one of these stores blindfolded and know just which one he or she was in.

The stores had many similar goods, but each had certain special products that they featured to serve certain groups.

Newberry's stationary section had a tremendous array of notebooks, paper, pencils, pens, etc.

The ink and the pens were sold separately, and school desks came with “ink wells.”

So returning to school was almost fun.

I remember Kaleidoscopes, a simple cardboard cylinder which you could look into one end through a small hole while turning the base and see an ever-changing pattern of colors and shapes. Do you think this would hold a child's attention for very long in our “computer age?”

There was a large tank in the rear of one of these stores, where goldfish were sold.

For about 10 cents, you could take home an aquatic pet in a cardboard container much like the ones many Chinese restaurants provide for take-out orders.

One day when my father and I arrived at the store, there was a very large fish in the tank.

This was the one I wanted, but my father told me that it belonged to the store and was not for sale.

The sales clerk concurred, but looking back, I think this was because my father winked at her. I put up an argument, but left with a much smaller fish.

One great thing about these stores was that they employed local people for long periods of time and they were like fixtures.

You felt that you were being helped by a loyal friend. Many of these stores had awnings over their front windows.

These “sunstoppers” gave the buildings a certain charm. I'm sure many of you remember going “downtown” on a Friday night and running into large numbers of friends and acquaintances, and I ll bet you stopped into each of these “five and tens.”

If you have memories of these foundations of commerce that you would like to pass on, please call me at 252-0544 and we'll go back.