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A shout out to the Dudychas and the headache blonde who we met on the train back from Chicago.
"This is the stuff dreams are made of".
Two new stories are on the way soon. Watch for:
"Of Roast Beef & Green Beans" and "The Elburn 12:40"
Angela & John
Monday, March 30, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Remembering The Newsstand
This story was originally written in December of 06 and sent to the Geneva Chronicle for publication - but sadly, they never did.
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As a young boy of 9 years old, I was entrusted with a dime to ride my bike the 3 ½ blocks from our home on North Sixth Street to downtown Geneva every morning to buy the Chicago Sun-Times at the little store known as Nelson's. I say entrusted because Nelson's was an establishment well known to children for their varied assortment of tempting penny candies.
That was back in 1961.
Nelson's was a dingy place that I remember as only selling newspapers and the various penny candies. There was a soda fountain and bar on the west wall that was long closed down. The proprietors, Old Man Nelson and his wife were a bit impatient while waiting on children who took too long in contemplating how to spend their two or three cents on penny candy. When Nelson's closed in the mid 1960's, Jerome and Zelda Litow, two of the nicest people ever, moved their business, The News Depot, into the old Nelson's store.
The News Depot operated a newspaper and delivery service for Geneva and St Charles in the rear of the building, while in the building's front section was their retail business, selling newspapers, magazines, cigars, cigarettes, candy, and greeting cards. It was the White Hen of its day.
During that time, I worked for Jerome and Zelda; first, as a newspaper delivery boy and then later as one of the various high school kids in the retail part of the business. The pay wasn't great (60 cents an hour), but thinking back, the experience was invaluable. Many of Geneva's businesses seemed to be run by high school kids during those summers and the weekends during the school year.
If you stopped in The News Depot during those years, you might remember hearing the radio broadcasting a Cubs game during those summer days or maybe a Geneva Viking game during the fall evenings. On Friday nights, the basement was filled with teens preparing the weekend inserts for delivery to the homes of the paperboys throughout Geneva and St Charles.
The racket was loud with the occasional fight over whether to play WLS or WCFL on the basement radio. For some of us, it was our first true job. When Jerome and Zelda decide to retire, they sold their business to Bill and Carol Gates.
Sometime during Bill and Carol's ownership, the business name was changed to the Newsstand. My sister Joanne Buckley was a loyal worker for Bill and Carol, learning the business from the ground floor up.
Joanne worked with Roger Butler, both of who would chat amiably with the many local Geneva characters who stopped by to purchase Lotto tickets, a Trib, or the Sun Times or maybe cigarettes. When I would stop in to say hello, it was like old times; Cubs games on the radio, the smell of old newspapers and the faint smell of tobacco.
When Carol decided to sell the Newsstand after Bill had passed away, Joanne jumped at the chance to own her own business. She hired our baby sister, Jeri to help her and Roger run the business. Roger and Jeri worked so well together as a team that they decided to marry and keep that team intact.
Now, The Newsstand, a Geneva fixture and tradition, that employed so many of us during our teen years, selling newspapers and magazines, will be closing its doors this Saturday, December 23. Bowing to the pressures of the big box stores and the competitive marketplace, Joanne has decided that its run has ended. Its closing will bring to an end the many years of newspaper and magazine sales at that location.
As I remember back to all the memories that this particular place holds, I realize now that another little jewel of Geneva Americana will be forever gone.So, if you read this bit of nostalgia and you're nearby, stop by The Newsstand in these last few days before Christmas. Walk in and sniff the air (it really smells of old newspaper).
Maybe you have memories of the place. Maybe, if you listen really hard, you might hear the faint echo of an old Cubs broadcast. Or maybe you were one of those kids that came in years ago to buy candy or a newspaper for your dad. Say goodbye to Jeri and Joanne (and maybe Roger too).
They've been great caretakers of an old Geneva business tradition. So long Newsstand, you had a great run.
John S Nielsen
======================
As a young boy of 9 years old, I was entrusted with a dime to ride my bike the 3 ½ blocks from our home on North Sixth Street to downtown Geneva every morning to buy the Chicago Sun-Times at the little store known as Nelson's. I say entrusted because Nelson's was an establishment well known to children for their varied assortment of tempting penny candies.
That was back in 1961.
Nelson's was a dingy place that I remember as only selling newspapers and the various penny candies. There was a soda fountain and bar on the west wall that was long closed down. The proprietors, Old Man Nelson and his wife were a bit impatient while waiting on children who took too long in contemplating how to spend their two or three cents on penny candy. When Nelson's closed in the mid 1960's, Jerome and Zelda Litow, two of the nicest people ever, moved their business, The News Depot, into the old Nelson's store.
The News Depot operated a newspaper and delivery service for Geneva and St Charles in the rear of the building, while in the building's front section was their retail business, selling newspapers, magazines, cigars, cigarettes, candy, and greeting cards. It was the White Hen of its day.
During that time, I worked for Jerome and Zelda; first, as a newspaper delivery boy and then later as one of the various high school kids in the retail part of the business. The pay wasn't great (60 cents an hour), but thinking back, the experience was invaluable. Many of Geneva's businesses seemed to be run by high school kids during those summers and the weekends during the school year.
If you stopped in The News Depot during those years, you might remember hearing the radio broadcasting a Cubs game during those summer days or maybe a Geneva Viking game during the fall evenings. On Friday nights, the basement was filled with teens preparing the weekend inserts for delivery to the homes of the paperboys throughout Geneva and St Charles.
The racket was loud with the occasional fight over whether to play WLS or WCFL on the basement radio. For some of us, it was our first true job. When Jerome and Zelda decide to retire, they sold their business to Bill and Carol Gates.
Sometime during Bill and Carol's ownership, the business name was changed to the Newsstand. My sister Joanne Buckley was a loyal worker for Bill and Carol, learning the business from the ground floor up.
Joanne worked with Roger Butler, both of who would chat amiably with the many local Geneva characters who stopped by to purchase Lotto tickets, a Trib, or the Sun Times or maybe cigarettes. When I would stop in to say hello, it was like old times; Cubs games on the radio, the smell of old newspapers and the faint smell of tobacco.
When Carol decided to sell the Newsstand after Bill had passed away, Joanne jumped at the chance to own her own business. She hired our baby sister, Jeri to help her and Roger run the business. Roger and Jeri worked so well together as a team that they decided to marry and keep that team intact.
Now, The Newsstand, a Geneva fixture and tradition, that employed so many of us during our teen years, selling newspapers and magazines, will be closing its doors this Saturday, December 23. Bowing to the pressures of the big box stores and the competitive marketplace, Joanne has decided that its run has ended. Its closing will bring to an end the many years of newspaper and magazine sales at that location.
As I remember back to all the memories that this particular place holds, I realize now that another little jewel of Geneva Americana will be forever gone.So, if you read this bit of nostalgia and you're nearby, stop by The Newsstand in these last few days before Christmas. Walk in and sniff the air (it really smells of old newspaper).
Maybe you have memories of the place. Maybe, if you listen really hard, you might hear the faint echo of an old Cubs broadcast. Or maybe you were one of those kids that came in years ago to buy candy or a newspaper for your dad. Say goodbye to Jeri and Joanne (and maybe Roger too).
They've been great caretakers of an old Geneva business tradition. So long Newsstand, you had a great run.
John S Nielsen
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