Seems like forever since I have written. Busy time of year, Spring has come to the South and is slowly marching northward, should be there by Easter Sunday, which just happens to be the latest it can possibly be in April. Easter being associated with Spring, it seems so much more appropriate to celebrate as the warmer weather approaches. However, the true celebration of the holiday, not about warmer weather and everything turning green, although it is a re-birth!
Back in our earlier years at Fred's News, holidays almost always meant time to decorate, Easter being no exception. Mr. Bill always had Easter Lilies, Hyacinths, Tulips and all the flowers of Spring, ready for our patrons to purchase. When the penny candy counter at Fred's News was still "alive", we would make up Easter Baskets, also a last minute gift for patrons to purchase on Easter morning. Yet everyone would be- gin with a barrage of questions, "when are the flowers returning to the outside, when are the benches coming out?" Talk about pushing the season, yet in this time of the earth coming alive, everyone wanted everything done, NOW!
Our first few Sping and Summer seasons at Fred's, we also sold vegetables and strawberries at the little place. We had a great display stand made by Dave Salemma, that held loads of veggies, sweet corn and tomatoes, the most popular. It was quite common for patrons to buy one or two ears of corn, requesting it be cooked on the premises along with the rest of their lunch items! Can't get much fresher than that! The farmers market would of continued but our local first selectman, who shall remain anonymous, said selling vegetables in an eating establishment was a violation of the health codes......rather than argue, we agreed no more veggies! We were just starting out in business, local government must be kept "happy!" Patrons moaned, rallying behind us, yet the old bachelor first selectman would not budge....so veggies were removed!
Throughout our years at Fred's News we offered our public more than food and ambiance, little side businesses or special products would appear: dried flowers, photography, live flowers, pies during the holiday seasons, even a small video store with up-to-date releases, graced the walls of Fred's News. Tom Abele, deciding he no longer wanted to operate the video stores, sold his stock to us, Son Mark ran the business, which had quite a list of clientele. Friday nights at Fred's was "movie night", a first run movie, popcorn and good behavior were the only requirements. Video rental continued for quite some time, mainly until Mark, reached the age of lack of interest and we needed more seating......it was with great sadness we all said "bye-[bye" to the video store. Another local business person, Nelson purchasing the entire contents of the place! Jewett City Flea Market....their new home!
Mr. Bill and I called these phases, "the evolution of the Fred's Revolution." "The Brothers" had made the place the pre-cursor to today's convenience store. The Egg-Nazi and I had definite plans and goals for what we wanted the place to be, but to serve the needs of the public we kept a bit of a "mish mash" of items for awhile, eventually evolving into the Fred"s News everyone came to love. At times, the journey seemed to travel on rocky roads, yet it evolved into a little place that felt very much like friends sitting in our kitchen, passing the time away. A way of life, we've yet to finds anyplace we have visited.
Back in our earlier years at Fred's News, holidays almost always meant time to decorate, Easter being no exception. Mr. Bill always had Easter Lilies, Hyacinths, Tulips and all the flowers of Spring, ready for our patrons to purchase. When the penny candy counter at Fred's News was still "alive", we would make up Easter Baskets, also a last minute gift for patrons to purchase on Easter morning. Yet everyone would be- gin with a barrage of questions, "when are the flowers returning to the outside, when are the benches coming out?" Talk about pushing the season, yet in this time of the earth coming alive, everyone wanted everything done, NOW!
Our first few Sping and Summer seasons at Fred's, we also sold vegetables and strawberries at the little place. We had a great display stand made by Dave Salemma, that held loads of veggies, sweet corn and tomatoes, the most popular. It was quite common for patrons to buy one or two ears of corn, requesting it be cooked on the premises along with the rest of their lunch items! Can't get much fresher than that! The farmers market would of continued but our local first selectman, who shall remain anonymous, said selling vegetables in an eating establishment was a violation of the health codes......rather than argue, we agreed no more veggies! We were just starting out in business, local government must be kept "happy!" Patrons moaned, rallying behind us, yet the old bachelor first selectman would not budge....so veggies were removed!
Throughout our years at Fred's News we offered our public more than food and ambiance, little side businesses or special products would appear: dried flowers, photography, live flowers, pies during the holiday seasons, even a small video store with up-to-date releases, graced the walls of Fred's News. Tom Abele, deciding he no longer wanted to operate the video stores, sold his stock to us, Son Mark ran the business, which had quite a list of clientele. Friday nights at Fred's was "movie night", a first run movie, popcorn and good behavior were the only requirements. Video rental continued for quite some time, mainly until Mark, reached the age of lack of interest and we needed more seating......it was with great sadness we all said "bye-[bye" to the video store. Another local business person, Nelson purchasing the entire contents of the place! Jewett City Flea Market....their new home!
Mr. Bill and I called these phases, "the evolution of the Fred's Revolution." "The Brothers" had made the place the pre-cursor to today's convenience store. The Egg-Nazi and I had definite plans and goals for what we wanted the place to be, but to serve the needs of the public we kept a bit of a "mish mash" of items for awhile, eventually evolving into the Fred"s News everyone came to love. At times, the journey seemed to travel on rocky roads, yet it evolved into a little place that felt very much like friends sitting in our kitchen, passing the time away. A way of life, we've yet to finds anyplace we have visited.
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