New Game: Old Garage Photo w/your XS

Update from Conesville, NY, tiny hamlet in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, and home of the country store and gas pump run by Margaret. I just learned her name yesterday when I stopped again to see if she had actually closed it for good. It was dark, like last week, so I wandered across the street where Larry Brandow of L&J Mountain Top Machine Shop and Small Engine Repair was deep in the engine compartment of his pickup. His garage is nearly buried in vinyl sheds and machines.

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Larry is a friendly and chatty guy. He apologized for his oily appearance, but I told him that I was more comfortable in my own garage rags than nicer clothes. I suspect that the vehicle to the right might be a previously-unreleased NASA transport pod or something.

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He said that Margaret has been ill, and rarely opens the store.
Larry is the town historian, so he had much to say about the country store, the ice house that once was across the street, and other local ghosts. I forgot to ask him about the Mysterious Second Floor Door. I'll have to do that next time I go thru town.
We talked a bit about welding, carburation, and of course, motorcycles. He had three Hondas in the yard, and I noted that I like vintage bikes.

He said, "Oh, then I've got something for you to see". Kicking some junk out of the way, Larry unzipped the flap to one of his sheds:

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to reveal a '78 bobber. We suddenly had more to talk about.

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I got an invite to come back anytime, plus his fridge magnet.
 
That 79 doesn't look to be hacked at all..........Might be worth getting...............yea i know its like pulling hens teeth trying to get something of these type of guys but you have the XS in common so the chances raise by 2%............keep visiting
 
That 79 doesn't look to be hacked at all..........Might be worth getting...............yea i know its like pulling hens teeth trying to get something of these type of guys but you have the XS in common so the chances raise by 2%............keep visiting
I agree, these guys hold tight to their machines, so I didnt even make the slightest suggestion as to my impulse to make him an offer. I surely intend to keep visiting :laugh2: I know a local guy who had 5 XS's. Now he has 4; I got one of them so far.
 
The "Mystery of the Second Floor Door" is solved.

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Back in the Catskill Mountains this past sunday, I had no expectations at all of finding Margaret's country store in Conesville open, but the lights were on, and she was sitting behind the counter when I stopped in for the obligatory Klondike bar. She didn't look good with one eye patched up from surgery, and she did not seem to recognize me.

We chatted a bit about this and that, then I asked her how old the building might be. "YOU ASK TOO MANY QUESTIONS !!", Margaret scolded, sounding like a mother who had just caught her child with his hand in the cookie jar. So, I changed the drift of the conversation, complimenting her on the cute birds cage cornices of the building, and her nice collection of 1980's VCR rental tapes:

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"They aren't rentals, I sell them. And I just sold 5 of them today." she said, seeming very pleased with her success. "But I don't have many left, like the other merchandise. Not much left to sell you know. Its not worth restocking"

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Margaret began to talk at great length about living alone, struggling to keep up the shop, and about how History is so important to preserve. Funny, it was just ten minutes ago that she shut me down about my historical question.

I asked, "I've stopped by lately, and found your shop closed. I've been concerned about you." "I"M ALWAYS OPEN !!" Margaret replied, loudly. ............."Except Wednesdays, ...................and when I'm not well. I've been sick, lately".

I asked if I could take her picture, and she barked, "I DON'T LOOK GOOD!," but she let me take a picture of a framed photo of her and her grandkids (grandkids?? I was confused, but let it go).

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I asked where I could toss the Klondike wrapper, and then spotted this wonderful 40's (?) era metal wastebasket with a foot-push bar to flip the lid:

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"Oh My God, what a great trash bin !" I said. "EVERYONE WANTS MY WASTEBASKET !!", Margaret replied. I chose to not make her an offer. She said that she was going to die, and it will still be right there, in the corner. "I don't like it, but no one else is going to get it," she said.

And the Second Floor Door ? The place used to be a feed store, and they loaded grain and other such merch through it.

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That's a great story. As soon as you said
" second floor door" I thought of barns and hay lofts.
I love how much history you have in your area.
So much of that small town life is going away.
 
That's a great story. As soon as you said
" second floor door" I thought of barns and hay lofts.
I love how much history you have in your area.
So much of that small town life is going away.
You put your finger right on it, Bob: "So much of that small town life is going away."
This is just what Margaret was communicating to me, and that which motivates many of my touring pursuits.
 
I was touring the Catskill Mountains (again :)) this past Saturday, and cruised through the quaint little town of Margaretville (not Margaritaville) in the southern region, just off route 30. A local resident reminded me that they had one garage, an old one, and I got bit excited, as the town has generally maintained its interesting character over the years,

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....and has always restored the businesses after suffering damage, such as the flood waters from Hurricane Irene in 2011,

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which also took out Kowalski's home.

However, I came upon it on the northern edge of town, and was disappointed to find an old, yet mundane structure.

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It dates back to 1910, and still functions as it did, as a car sales and service (three active service bays) business. I meandered inside to find a similarly uninteresting interior, the floor being painted as I approached.

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But just as I was thinking that this place was too uninteresting to add to this Old Garage thread, despite its vintage fluted glass block windows, the owner's son, Chris, approached me with a big, Leave-it-to Beaver smile and down-home, honest-to-goodness, small-town friendliness that I rarely experience any more in service businesses, and I sensed that I had something to report.

"We're closed today, but what can I do for you?", he said, earnestly.

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He took a wad of chew out of his lower lip to look more presentable, and told me all he could about his father's business, and realising that his information was limited, called his father at home to get more. He said that his Dad was very proud to have kept the place open and active for many decades.

Chris's brand of friendliness and helpfulness is nearly extinct, these days, in my experience.

 
When My Dad Uncle and I went north of Redding cal. on a trip to get a ton of hay for the horses, we got up into this area where I now live...
many of the old farm/ranch houses have a door in the upper story loft.... some even still had painted slats coming down the porch so you wouldn't slip... I puzzled over this for a while and asked Dad why is there a outside door on some of these Houses ? and he chuckled and said well back in La Plat NB. all the places had them.... there for deep snow .... when the snow gets over 8 to 10 feet deep it's easier to just go out the upper story door than to try and dig out all that snow... I said WOW the snow get's that deep and he laughed ! He said one winter back in la plat Nebraska where he grew up the snow got so deep it was over the peeks of single story homes the 2 story homes were fine because they had the 2nd story doors but the single story homes had a heck of a battle on their hands keeping a path cleared so they could get out of the house
.....
I thought man the world has really changed in just My Dads life time now we'er lucky to get 5 foot of snow..... and now 50 years later we don't even get a foot of snow in the winter.....
deepest snow My Dad ever saw was 20 ft..... deepest snow I ever saw was around 12ft..... at a ski resort !
I say Come on Global warming ! I don't like Snow that much ! LOL
......
Bob.........
 
This morning was beautiful, temperatures in the mid '80s with cloud cover, in Arizona that's riding weather!
I was headed to a destination that will be the subject of another thread, but I swung through a favorite old town near me, Buckeye Az, in search of interesting old buildings. I veered off the main drag and rode down some of the smaller side streets and I came upon this. I didn't realize how historically significant it was until I got home and did some research.
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At first all I noticed was that it was an old hardware store, but a closer look revealed this.
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Let me introduce you to Orley Seymore Stapely, came to Arizona when he was 16 in the late 1800's. As a teenager he drove stagecoaches from Mesa to Phoenix, a distance of about 30 miles.
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In 1894 he married his longtime sweetheart and went on to have 9 children together.
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In 1895 he took his life savings of $880 and opened up a hardware store in Mesa.
That's Orley standing under the D. He's auctioning a wood burning stove.
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He went on to open up a chain of hardware stores across Arizona. He opened the store in Buckeye in 1929 and it was in business until 1948.
He made his real money when he landed a federal contract to supply all the hardware for the Roosevelt dam project that was about to begin. He also started a stagecoach company to ferry workers to the dam construction site.
In 1916 he secured an International Harvester franchise, he sold tractors and trucks through all his hardware stores and became the oldest International dealer in the West. He was a very successful business man and became quite the philanthropist, giving money to schools and other civic organizations.
He was on the committee that wrote the state constitution and served as an Arizona Senator from 1916-1918.
They have named schools and streets after him. I have lived in Arizona my whole life and never heard of him. All until I photographed an old hardware store.
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Btw , there is a register of historic buildings in Buckeye and that building isn't even on it. It's just another old building on a forgotten side street turning to dust.
 
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What a cool story Bob. Thank you for sharing it.
Boy mid 80's....must be nice. We're down to single digits here. Glad my new leather jacket arrived.....lol.
 
What a cool story Bob. Thank you for sharing it.
Boy mid 80's....must be nice. We're down to single digits here. Glad my new leather jacket arrived.....lol.

Thanks Robin, yeah we're just approaching our really nice riding weather. I'm ready buddy, it's been a long hot summer here!
 
Nice historical narrative, Bob !
You are bringing Arizona to life, for me.
And as always, your photos are a great compliment.
I look forward to more.
 
Really nice write up Bob.

I wonder why the store isn't on the registry? Is the building still in use? If not, I'll be there are some interesting artifacts inside!

Pete
 
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