One of my earliest memories is riding to Decatur with my Grannie and shopping at the IGA. It may be one of those childhood memories that isn't necessarily formed, rather it is told. I believe I remember it, but my memories may have been compromised by the telling of the memory.
I do remember my Grannie taking me and my brother to JR Chaney's store. She'd load us up in her big blue car and take us down to JR's store. She'd fill up with gas. While the gas was pumping she would let us fill up on anything in the store we desired. We'd pile the counter high and Mrs. Laverne would tally our treasures as if it were an every day occurrence. We didn't want just a few Cheese and Cracker's, Grannie wanted to buy us the entire box. We topped it off with one of those cups of Ford's ice cream with the wooden spoons. We would take our time and tally up all our snacks and drinks and Grannie would tell us to help her carry them to the car. It was a grand-daughter's dream come true.
As the years went on JR Chaney's store became less and less capable of providing the junk food essentials that my brother and I craved. Yes we could still ride with Grannie; and, yes, she could still send us in to grab her Kools and a Dr. Pepper on her tab, but after the school closed JR's became less and less of a grocery and more of a last ditch effort for gas in the dried up community of Beulah Hubbard. Little Rock was where the action was at. The men started to gravitate there for the coffee and gossip and Mrs Nelda, one of my Grannie's close friends opened a store there.
Our trips with Grannie were treasured during our summers out of school and we travelled once or twice a month to "Miss" Nelda's. She had cold drinks, cheez and crackers, king sized candy bars, sugary cereals, 2 liter drinks, big bags of chips, video game and movie rentals. Grannie let my brother and I rent Super Mario Bros. 3 so many times that we probably could have bought it for what we paid in rentals. Mrs. Nelda never charged us a late fee. She knew we could have owned the game as soon as paid her for it. Plus she was Grannie's friend. It was a pretty sweet arrangement for a kid.
As we grew older the trips with Grannie became fewer and fewer. The trips to Mrs. Nelda's didn't stop, though. I remember my oldest sister bribing me to ride with her to the store so that I could go in and pay so that she didn't have to. I remember countless trips as a teenager to get the best bacon cheeseburger I have ever had (even to this day), not to mention the tater logs or curly fries to go with them. She had feminine products, movie rentals, school supplies, candy, chips, fishing bait, and a full service greasy restaurant. It was the hub of all of our small town needs.
At the center of all the small town chaos was Mrs. Nelda. She sat on a stool behind the counter. She usually had a cigarette in hand and always had an eye on every person in the store. She greeted everyone that walked through by their first name.
I was married and moved to the big city of Decatur when I was 18. My trips to Mrs. Nelda's became few and far between, but she never forgot me. Every time I found the chance to walk in those doors she greeted me as if I were in there every day. She would ask about Grannie, who by that time was home bound. She knew the names of my children as well as she knew her own. She would give them a sucker if I happened to have them with me.
I left Mississippi in 2006. Anytime I went home and happened to stop in her store she still called me by name and said, "What else, Heather?" as I checked out. I last saw her about a year after Grannie died. She was still at the counter and when I walked in her store I thought to myself, "she probably won't recognize you, don't be disappointed." She proved me wrong. I was checking out and she said, "what else, Heather?" I replied "that's all" as she gave me my change she told me she sure did miss my Grannie and she asked how my babies were doing. We chatted as if nothing had changed in all those years. That was her gift. She made everyone feel like they were a special part of her family. Mrs. Nelda's was an extension of home for most of us in Little Rock and Beulah Hubbard. She has a special place in all our hearts. I know she was greeted by the arms of Jesus this morning just as sweetly as she greeted countless customers, family, and friends throughout the years.
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