Ocala

Magnolia Street 1954

Looking East on What Today is Silver Springs Blvd. 1954

There were many things that brought me joy as a child.  Obviously playing in the yard with my brother and the neighborhood children was one and exploring our world in our little neighborhood was another, but one of the happiest pleasures of my childhood was when my mother took me to town to do some shopping.  As many of you know or maybe even remember, in the early fifties there were no malls, and the center of commercial and cultural life was still around the town square.  Whether going shopping for shoes or going to a movie it was all within walking distance of the courthouse square.

In Ocala, for shopping downtown on the square was McCrory's 5 & 10, Bitting's Drug Store, Guarantee Clothing and Shoe Company, Kennedy's, Rheinauers, Goldman Radio and Appliances, and even Sears just to name a few.   For entertainment there was the Marion and Dixie Theaters of course, where I remember going frequently and even more often as I grew older and into my teens.  But, as a young child on shopping days, a special treat for me was when mom took me into Bitting's drug store where I would get a cherry coke at the fountain.  It was always so cool inside and sitting at the fountain just seemed special and a real break from the Florida heat.

 I remember walking around the square with my mother, she often holding my hand, and going from shop to shop looking for grown up things that I had absolutely no interest in.  Sometimes there were shoes to be repaired and I remember the shoe repair shop that was stuck between two buildings like it was an after thought and just plopped in an alley.  I remember the black gentleman that owned and ran the shop.  I remember his stained hands and the smell of polish and the sound of the sewing machines as they stitched the leather uppers back to the soles.  And I even remember the tan colored tags that were tied to the shoes and the stubs that mother would hand to the man so that he could retrieve our shoes.  

And then there was McCrory's.  It seemed to me that that one store had absolutely everything. With toys and household goods and shelves of candy, it just seemed full of everything fun.  It was all a wonder for a child.  In and out and down the street and in and out again.  Meeting folks you knew along the way and chatting.  Mom chatting and me squirming.  Who was ready to go home?

And then it was back to the car and the ride home.  The car would hardly stop in the drive way and I was out and running.  One adventure finished and looking for the next.  Jay would be home soon and we would have time to get into trouble at least one more time before dinner.

Just one more quick note.  The two photos above were taken the year I turned six.  I remember Ocala just like this.  I remember walking these streets with my mother and often with her and my brother.  It was a wonderful town to grow up in. Maybe, just maybe, it's something that's missing today.