Santa Land was at Fulks Run Grocery in the 1950s and early1960s. When my dad Garnett Turner started the store in 1949, there were ten country stores within four miles of each other but no “big box” stores as we know today. The nearest larger store was probably A. W. Whitmore’s in Broadway (now J&B Country Store). Fulks Run Grocery was able to provide local people with Christmas shopping opportunities without having to travel outside the community.
Photos of the store’s interior from the early 1950s show that holiday decorations were not elaborate. The original store building was only 24’ X 40’ and was filled to the ceiling with cans and boxes of food, leaving no room for elaborate décor. A few strands of red and silver aluminum garland and maybe some stars in the window were the extent of the decorations.
At this time, few women were employed outside the home, and I’m sure most of them baked homemade bread and treats for the holidays. There probably were few ready-made holiday food treats for sale at the store. However, salt fish was a store staple in the winter, and folks could order oysters by the pint or quart after the store bought a refrigerated case.
By 1957 or perhaps earlier, the store accepted orders for toys at Christmas time. I remember the large, beautifully packaged dolls on display on the top shelves, out of the reach of my sisters and me. Customers placed orders for the toys and paid weekly for them, like a layaway plan. No one had charge cards, so layaway was a way to spread out the expense, only it was paid in advance, not after the purchase like a charge card.
My sisters and I only remember beautiful dolls, like Cinderella in a blue glittery dress which my sister Norma eventually received Christmas morning. How did Santa know that she had been admiring Cinderella for weeks? I’m sure there would have been trucks or other toys that appealed to boys, but I don’t remember specifics. Another popular gift was a giant red net Christmas stocking filled with little toys and candies. Santa brought one to each of my sisters and me about 1957. I remember a book-like container of ten rolls of Lifesaver candy, The outside wrapper was silver and had holiday decorations. That was also a special gift.
To add to the gift services, the store had a huge roll (like butcher paper) of wrapping paper featuring Christmas trees. I assume the wrapping service was free. Every Christmas morning as we unwrapped our gifts at our home, my siblings and I were amazed that Santa used the same kind of wrapping paper as was used at the store.
My dad Garnett Turner occasionally provided extra services. Just a few years ago, a woman my age told Garnett about her special Christmas when he personally delivered presents to her family from the store. She still had the doll that “Santa” brought that year.
In addition to gifts, the store always stocked a big variety of Christmas candy. They purchased it in bulk and repackaged it in one-pound bags. My mom Lena made sure that we kids helped with the store operation in whatever way we could. When I was about 11, the bulk candy boxes were brought to the house dining room. Lena told us that we could stay up past our bedtime on the day after Thanksgiving as we helped to repackage the candy. That made us feel very special and eager to work on the candy assembly line. The youngest child put about a pound of candy in the bag. My mom weighed each bag on the balance scales borrowed from the Post Office; she adjusted the weight by adding or removing a piece or two of candy. The next child sealed the bag with tape, and another child wrote the price on the plastic bag. It was an efficient system considering the workers were 6 to 11 years old. It might have been midnight when we finished our job, but it was rewarding that we had stayed up late like big kids and contributed to the family work.
After the early 1960s, as more folks worked out the way and had opportunities and income to shop in larger stores, Garnett discontinued the Christmas toys. However, our Santa gifts at home continued to be wrapped in the store Christmas paper until the roll finally ran out twenty years later.
Remember to record your holiday memories and stories and pass them on to your family.
Merry Christmas to all!
