Submitted by Nute Chapman
From Onaway Outlook Mar. 2, 2012
|
Submitted by Nute Chapman From Onaway Outlook Mar. 2, 2012 |
|
Caption: The original owners of Zuelcher's Store stand in front of their business during the early part of
the 20th Century. It later became Edna's Store. It's a building that's stood the test of time and now houses
Willey's Chiropractic along South Veteran's Drive.
(Editor's Note: Totem Pole Tales returns this week with a primary focus on the history of the area.
Newton "Nute" Chapman, Jr. will share historical photos and knowledge he's collected from "old timers",
his father Newton Chapman Sr., as well as other family members.)
Edna Lound was the queen of Onaway. She ran Edna's Store along South Veterans Drive and had the
Edna Lound Recreation area named after her. She was born and raised in Ocqueoc and never married.
Her claim to fame in Onaway was the operation of a store in the heart of town.
The original business was called "Zuelch's Store"(original owners pictured). Carlton and Frieda Fusee owned it,
before Clayton Smith took it over. He later sold it to Edna.
Not only was it a hub, a gathering place, but many people used it as a references point. It you wanted
to find something, it was a block away from Edna's. She also was a popular owner.
All the boys from school went to Edna's at noon to get cheese and meat, and stuff to eat. She knew
what some of the kids wanted too and would have it ready when they ran down the hill.
You could buy pickled bologna. One the products she had there that I liked was good, New York Honey loaf,
which you can't get anymore. It was an excellent luncheon meat.
Chick Vermilya, who worked at the post office with me, would order a 3-gallon jug of pickled bologna,
simply put an address on the handle of the bologna it(sic) and ship it to Alaska to his daughter. He put
it right on the mail cart and shipped it out. It would go unwrapped, like a lot of things did.
Edna had charge accounts--little tab books--where you could charge your lunch, and each family had
its own limits.
Some kids could charge $2, some could charge $4. Nobody every charged more than $5, That was the largest
account you could have in her store. When it got to the point where it was near the limit, she reminded you that
if you didn't pay something, there wouldn't be any lunch tomorrow.
She was the bookstore for Onaway High School up until they moved in the early 1960s. She sold pencils,
paper and erasers.
One of the things people will remember is how big her broom was, and she wasn't afraid to use it on some of
the boys. You can't buy a broom like that today. It was a real broom.
Another thing she had in there was a ball of string. If someone bought cheese or luncheon meat, there was
a ream of paper there, and she would rip off a piece and fold it three ways and grab that string and wrap it.
Kids would grab the string and take off to the school. Edna would see that string spinning, grab it, and break
it. She would look to see who it was and confront them the next day. She knew everybody.
When the school moved, her business dropped, but she stayed open until 10 p.m. every night.
Edna kept a real nice yard. She had a push mower, and every once in a while I would use my file to sharpen the blades.
She had a lot of pretty flowers, and I have some of them at my place.
There was also a time when she called me to the store because some birds died in a violent thunderstorm.
They were about 100 on the sidewalk and street. I helped her clean them all up.
She had a sheep bell that hung over the door and rang when someone walked in. When she passed,her brother gave
that bell to me. I kept it a while and recently passed it on to my son Patrick for his birthday because he
knew Edna.
Today, Willey's Chiropractic is located in the building and the outside is nearly the same as when the 1949 queen of
Onaway owned the store and hearts of so many people. -Onaway Outlook, March 2, 2012 pg. 3.
Retyped by J. Anderson.